Pepsico, Inc.

Timothy W Bethuy

William J Black

Brian T Cahill

Fabio Nebbia

Giovanni Perucca

Ronald Schilling

Paul Novotny

Andrew David Nelson

Peter Donald Mehn

Richard V Baxter

Ronald D Schilling

Edward Gerard Beistle

Anthony VanBergen Salsich

Richard V Baxter, Jr

Joseph Todd Piatnik

Gary Blank

Jeffrey C Thon

Tony Salsich

Paul Novonty

A beverage dispensing system with a base to which a dispensing head is removably attached without additional fasteners, wherein beverage forming liquids are supplied through a plurality of separate conduits in the base. Each base conduit has a normally closed valve that normally blocks fluid flow. The dispensing head has at least one passageway that receives liquid from an associated one of the base conduits. A projection associated with each dispensing head passageway opens the associated conduit valve to allow fluid flow from the base to the head. Dispensing valves in the dispensing head are independently accountable to regulate the dispensing of the beverage. In one version of the invention, four liquids are supplied to the dispensing head through the conduits, namely two liquid concentrates; carbonated water; and non-carbonated water. By selective opening of the dispensing valves, a plurality of beverages are formed from combinations of one or more of the liquids. A dispensing head for dispensing at least one carbonated fluid includes an inlet opening and an outlet opening at each end of a passage extending through a body, the inlet opening having a smaller cross-sectional area than the outlet opening.

Beverage dispensing system with a head capable of dispensing plural different beverages

A beverage dispensing system includes a base to which a dispensing head is removably attached without additional fasteners. Beverage-forming liquids are supplied through a plurality of separate conduits in the base. Each base conduit has a normally closed valve that normally blocks fluid flow. The dispensing head has at least one passageway that receives liquid from an associated one of the base conduits. A projection associated with each dispensing head passageway opens the associated conduit valve to allow fluid flow from the base to the head. Dispensing valves in the dispensing head regulate the dispensing of the beverage. By selectively opening the dispensing valves, a plurality of beverages are formed from combinations of one or more liquids. A dispensing head includes an inlet opening and an outlet opening at each end of a passage extending through a body, the inlet opening having a smaller cross-sectional area than the outlet opening.

A dispensing head is removably attached to a beverage dispensing system base without additional fasteners, wherein beverage forming liquids are supplied through a plurality of separate conduits in the base. Each base conduit has a normally closed valve that normally blocks fluid flow. The dispensing head has at least one passageway that receives liquid from an associated one of the base conduits. A projection associated with each dispensing head passageway opens the associated conduit valve to allow fluid flow from the base to the head. Dispensing valves in the dispensing head are independently accountable to regulate the dispensing of the beverage. In one version of the invention, four liquids are supplied to the dispensing head through the conduits, namely two liquid concentrates; carbonated water; and noncarbonated water. By selective opening of the dispensing valves, a plurality of beverages are formed from combinations of one or more of the liquids.

A beverage dispenser for filling a container preferably has a nozzle through which the beverage is discharged and a pivoting lever located underneath the nozzle that detects the placement of a container so as to regulate the actuation of the dispenser. A conductive probe is in line with the discharged beverage stream, the lever also being conductive. A signal generator generates a varying-over-time signal that is applied to the probe or lever. As a result of beverage overflowing the container, the beverage stream establishes a conductive path between the probe and lever. The signal through this conductive path is compared to the signal produced by the signal generator. If the signals are substantially identical for a select period of time, the dispensing system is considered to be in an overflow state, and beverage dispensing is terminated.

Beverage dispenser with automatic cup-filling control

A beverage dispensing system includes separate valves for controlling the flow rate of a diluent and a concentrate. Various concentrates of different viscosities can be used and the selected concentrate is identified. The flow rate of the concentrate is determined based on temperature and pressure and on information related to the identified concentrate. The valves are controlled so that the concentrate and diluent reach target flow rates. The target flow rates satisfy a target ratio of diluent to concentrate. If the actual flow rates cannot reach the target flow rates, then the target flow rates are modified to satisfy the target ratio. The structure of the concentrate valve is designed to accommodate proportional metering of any one of the various concentrates.

Beverage forming and dispensing system

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New Fairfield, CT, United States of America

Timothy W Bethuy