Beverage dispensing machine with pressurized water and syrup supplies

Abstract

A noncarbonated beverage dispensing machine in combination with pressurized water and syrup supplies; the machine includes a beverage tank from which beverage is dispensed, a mixing head including normally closed electrically operated water and syrup valves connected with the water and syrup supplies and operable to conduct metered volumes of water and syrup into the beverage tank and a liquid level switching device in the beverage tank operating to simultaneously cause the valves to open when the liquid in the tank is at a predetermined low level and to cause the valves to close when the liquid level in the tank is at a predetermined high level. The water supply delivers a constant supply of water at a desired pressure to the water valve. The syrup supply includes a replaceable syrup tank holding a discrete volume of syrup, an elongate syrup line extends from the syrup tank to the mixing head and a gas supply delivers pressurized gas into the syrup tank at predetermined pressure to move syrup therein through the syrup line to the head. The head includes a normally open syrup actuated switching device between and connected with the syrup valve and syrup line and that operates to close when syrup at desired pressure is delivered to the syrup valve and to disable and prevent opening of the water valve when syrup is not supplied to the syrup valve at desired pressure and to thereby prevent a flow of water into the supply tank in the absence of a corresponding flow of syrup into that tank.