Sanden Corporation

Kirin Brewery Company, Limited

Yasuyuki Arai

Yasushi Takayanagi

Shunichi Nakayama

Yutaka Takahashi

Hiroshi Hayakawa

Ryoichi Sekiguchi

Ikuo Harashima

Tomomitsu Abe

Masashi Kanai

Sunichi Nakayama

A dispensing unit for mixing and dispensing a beverage which consists of several constituents, including syrup. The unit dispenses beverage from a bottle having a bottom outlet portion and through a syrup path controlled by a manually operable valve. A gas path in the dispensing unit supplies gas into the bottle for urging the syrup from the bottle and into the syrup path. An additional liquid is permitted to flow to a mixing chamber along with the syrup where they are mixed.

Beverage mixing and dispensing unit

A post-mix beverage dispensing system including a cabinet having top, front, back side and bottom panels for housing various components. The components include a carbonator for producing carbonated water by mixing cooled potable water with CO.sub.2. Potable water is stored in a portable tank and is supplied to the carbonator through a first pipe. A cooling reservoir contains cooled water, and a serpentine section of the first pipe, along with the carbonator, are disposed in the cooling reservoir. A CO.sub.2 tank supplies CO.sub.2 to the carbonator and syrup packages. The flow rate of syrup from the syrup packages is kept constant by the pressure of CO.sub.2 from the CO.sub.2 tank. The front panel has a permanent magnet thereon, and the top panel has a reed switch thereon such that the permanent magnet is adjacent to the reed switch when the front panel is disposed on the cabinet. When an empty package is to be replaced with a new one and the front panel is opened, the reed switch is turned off, since the permanent magnet is spaced from the reed switch. An electromagnetic valve is thus cut off, and the supply of CO.sub.2 from the CO.sub.2 tank to the syrup packages is thereby stopped. The CO.sub.2 is thus automatically prevented from venting to the atmosphere when the front panel is opened.

Portable post-mix beverage dispenser unit

An apparatus and method for preventing the no-load operation of a pump for a liquid supply system which responds to a sensor signal indicating that insufficient liquid in the supply exists for properly supplying liquid from a supply tank to a reservoir tank is described. The device provides a user indication that the supply tank liquid needs replenishment. Further, the device also detects when the pump supplying liquid from the supply tank to the reservoir tank operates for a period of time longer than a predetermined period of time. The device also provides a user with an indication that such a condition exists.

Method and apparatus for preventing the no-load operation of a pump for

In a beverage dispensing unit which includes a storing unit (32), a conducting arrangement (43) for conducting a beverage from the storing unit, and a cabinet (38), the storing unit comprises a portable tank which is removable from the cabinet. The conducting arrangement includes an end portion (47) which is detachably connected to the tank. The end portion is held to the cabinet to be radially movable in relation to a connecting axis defined by the cabinet. Preferably, the cabinet comprises guiding arrangement (41, 42) for guiding the tank substantially along the connecting axis. The beverage dispensing unit further comprises a controlling unit (60) for controlling dispensation of the beverage. For adjusting a flow rate of the beverage in a beverage path (62, 63, 64) which is opened and closed by a valve (75), the controlling unit comprises an adjusting member (82) having an end (82b) covered with an operating member (90) which operates the valve. The operating member is movable to expose the end of the adjusting member, so that it is readily possible to adjust the flow rate of the beverage.

Beverage dispensing unit with a control unit for controlling

A post-mix beverage dispensing system including a cabinet having top, front, back, side and bottom panels for housing various components is disclosed. The components of the system include a carbonator for producing carbonated water by mixing cooled potable water with CO.sub.2. Potable water is stored in a portable tank means and is supplied to the carbonator through a first pipe. The portable tank is easily detachable from the cabinet. The system further includes a cooling reservoir containing cooled water. A serpentine section of the first pipe, along with the carbonator is disposed in the cooling reservoir. A CO.sub.2 tank supplies CO.sub.2 to the carbonator. Syrup packages dispense a selected syrup. Carbonated water from the carbonator, cool water from the portable tank, and syrup from the syrup packages are mixed in a valve and dispensed through a nozzle. The cooled water may be continuously supplied to the carbonator through the first pipe. Second and third pipes link the carbonator with the valve, and the CO.sub.2 to the syrup packages for dispensing CO.sub.2 therefrom, respectively.

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Isesaki, Japan

Yasuyuki Arai