The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 16, 1997
Filed:
Jul. 22, 1996
Anthony Altieri, Jr, Wheeling, IL (US);
John Lewis Fortin, Gurnee, IL (US);
Richard David Bothmann, Palatine, IL (US);
Sandra Jean Liakus, Fort Wayne, IN (US);
Philip DiGangi, Schaumburg, IL (US);
Dietrich ME. Heyde, Naperville, IL (US);
John Petersen, Cedar Falls, IA (US);
James M Mayer, Cedar Falls, IA (US);
Errol Olsen, Waterloo, IA (US);
Robert Stewart, deceased, late of Waterloo, IA (US);
Fluid Management, Inc., Wheeling, IL (US);
Abstract
A machine for dispensing a plurality of ingredients includes stepped arrays of canisters providing a source of materials. The bottom ends of the canisters are generally coplanar, and are positioned immediately above a low profile drive train mounted on a tray. A drive train includes two spaced arrays of pumps with a motor providing a common drive for the pumps, mounted between the arrays. A valve tray is located above the canisters and includes a low profile dispense head, an array of tubing members arranged side-by-side in a common, generally horizontal plane, and an array of dispense valves attached at the back of the valve tray. The dispense valves are coupled to the pumps by pairs of fluid lines, so as to circulate materials between the pumps and dispense valves.