Other

Hydration Labs, Inc.

Michael L Wing

Yvan De Boeck

Sean Grundy

Elizabeth Becton

Matthew Dorson

Michael Peterson

Daniel Zunitch

Frank Lee

Kent Walters

Joseph Brumaghim

Among other things, beverages are dispensed from one or more beverage dispensers based on selections made by users. Information about the dispensing of the beverages is sent to a central server where it is used to manage a variety of functions including replacement of depleted supplies of components. Various features of the beverage dispensers enable the beverages that are dispensed to be uniform and appealing to users.

Beverage dispensing

Among other things, a chiller for chilling water to be dispensed as part of beverages includes a tank configured to contain a cooling mass for chilling the water. A first tube in the tank is configured to be immersed in the cooling mass and to carry the water along a path from a source towards a location where the chilled water is to be dispensed as part of the beverages. A second tube is configured to be immersed in the cooling mass and to carry a coolant along a recirculation path from a coolant source and back to the coolant source. The coolant has a sufficiently low temperature to cause a frozen mass to be formed as part of the cooling mass within the tank and in the vicinity of the second tube. The first tube and the second tube are configured and positioned relative to one another within the tank so that the frozen mass occupies at least 30 percent of the volume of the cooling mass in the tank but does not touch the first tube.

A gravitational, magnetic, floating ball valve for use in the medical field as a protective fluid cut-off valve when medicine and/or fluids are infused intravenously in patients. The ball valve can be inserted in either an intravenous line, a dosage meter tube or inside an intravenous supply bag and in combinations thereof.

Gravitational, magnetic, floating ball valve

A pivotal syringe needle holder for use with an injector includes a hub and a ball. A needle is supported by the ball which, in turn, is movably supported by the hub so as to permit the needle to be angularly displaced relative to the hub. The hub is engageable with the injector. The ball and hub are configured to form a ball and socket arrangement which cooperatively permits medicant to be communicated therethrough. A contact seal is formed between the ball and hub to prevent loss of medicant therefrom. A physical seal which may be provided supplemental to, or in place of, the contact seal. A needle may be formed as an integral element of a disposable syringe needle holder or a non-disposable syringe needle holder may support a disposable needle. The ball may be manipulated to displace the needle in a desired position relative to the hub and then may be substantially fixed in this desired position. A latch may be provided to releasably fix the ball relative to the hub which, in turn, releasably fixes the needle relative to the hub.

Growing community of inventors

Loma Linda, CA, United States of America

Michael L Wing