JP7164383B2 - water server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water server.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a water server that introduces drinking water from a drinking water bottle into a cold water tank or a hot water tank and supplies the drinking water in these tanks from a water outlet on the front side of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-178360 A

Such a water server has, for example, a top cover on which a drinking water bottle is placed and locked to the housing side, and utilizes a drinking water discharge path extending downward from the center position of the top cover to serve as a tank lid member. The central position of the lid member is pressed to prevent the lid member from floating.

However, in some cases, such as when an electromagnetic valve for water discharge is arranged in the housing, the central position of the lid member of the tank must be eccentric with respect to the drinking water discharge path extending downward from the central position of the top cover. In this case, the drinking water discharge path of the top cover cannot press the central position of the lid member. side) becomes easy to float. As a result, a large pressure cannot be applied in the airtightness test, and the airtightness test takes a long time, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and the object of the invention is to provide a water server capable of suppressing the lengthening of the time required for the airtightness test. to do.

A water server according to the present invention has a top cover on which a drinking water bottle is placed and whose central position extends downward to form a drinking water discharge channel, and a lid member pressed by the drinking water discharge channel of the top cover. In addition, a tank for introducing and storing water from a drinking water bottle is provided, and the water stored in the tank can be supplied from a water outlet. In this water server, the center position of the tank is eccentric in a predetermined horizontal direction with respect to the drinking water discharge passage extending downward from the center position of the top cover, and ribs that prevent the lid member from floating in a predetermined horizontal direction. are provided on the inner wall located on a predetermined horizontal side with respect to the tank.

According to the present invention, since the ribs for suppressing floating on the predetermined horizontal side of the lid member are provided on the inner wall portion on the predetermined horizontal side, even if the center position of the tank is eccentric from the drinking water discharge path, Even so, the ribs can suppress the side on which floating due to eccentricity is likely to occur, and the lid member can be prevented from floating even when a high pressure is applied in an airtightness test. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the lengthening of the time required for the airtightness test.

It is a perspective view showing a water server concerning an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the inside of the water server shown in FIG. 1; It is a perspective view which shows the back side of a cover member. It is a top view which shows an inner-wall part.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below along with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments shown below, there are places where illustrations and explanations of some configurations are omitted, but the details of the omitted technologies are provided within the scope that does not cause contradiction with the contents explained below. , Needless to say, well-known or well-known techniques are applied as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a water server according to an embodiment of the invention. The water server 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a basic configuration of a housing 10 that has a substantially quadrangular prism shape when viewed from the outside. It is configured. Such a water server 1 has a top cover 40 on which the drinking water bottle B is placed on the top of the housing 10 .

The supply nozzle 20 functions as a water outlet for discharging drinking water according to the user's operation on the operation panel 30 . At least a part of the supply nozzle 20 is housed in a concave portion 11 formed so as to be recessed from the front surface of the housing 10 . The operation panel 30 is an operation unit that receives operations from a user, and is capable of various operations such as a cold water supply operation, a hot water supply operation, and a hot water heating operation.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the inside of the water server 1 shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 2, illustration of a part of the configuration (float valve, etc.) is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the water server 1 further includes a cold water tank (tank) 50 and an air flow path 60 .

The top cover 40 is a cover member provided on the upper part of the housing 10, and has a structure on which a drinking water bottle B (see FIG. 1) is placed. The top cover 40 is fixed to the housing 10 by screws and locking claws (not shown). Further, the top cover 40 extends downward at its central position to form a drinking water discharge passage 41 . The drinking water discharge path 41 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape.

The cold water tank 50 includes a container member 51 whose top side is open, and a lid member 52 arranged on the container member 51 via a packing (not shown). A circular opening is formed on the upper side of the container member 51, and the substantially circular lid member 52 closes the circular opening. A foam member IS serving as a heat insulator is provided on the upper portion of the lid member 52 .

A cylindrical drinking water introduction passage 53 is formed in the lid member 52 . The drinking water introduction passage 53 is formed with a no-peel portion 53a extending upward from the center thereof. The no-peel portion 53a is a hollow member having an opening 53b formed at its tip. A valve mechanism (not shown) is provided on the lower end side of the no peel portion 53a. The valve mechanism opens when the drinking water in the cold water tank 50 drops below a predetermined water level. When the valve mechanism is in the valve open state, the drinking water in the drinking water bottle B is introduced into the cold water tank 50 through the opening 53b of the no-peel portion 53a. Furthermore, the drinking water introduction channel 53 is in contact with the lower end of the drinking water discharge channel 41 extending downward from the central position of the top cover 40 . Therefore, the lid member 52 of the cold water tank 50 is pressed by the drinking water discharge passage 41 of the top cover 40 .

Furthermore, the lid member 52 has an air vent portion 54 . The air vent 54 is for discharging the air inside the tank to the outside when drinking water is introduced into the cold water tank 50 . The air vent portion 54 is connected to an air flow path 60 extending to the outside of the housing 10 . A cover member 61 having a plurality of through holes is provided at the tip of the air flow path 60 to prevent dirt, dust, etc. from entering the cold water tank 50 from the outside. A valve mechanism (not shown) is provided in the air vent 54, and the valve is closed when the water level in the cold water tank 50 reaches or exceeds a specified water level (a water level higher than a predetermined water level).

Here, in the water server 1 according to the present embodiment, the center position of the cold water tank 50 is eccentric rearward (an example of a predetermined horizontal direction) with respect to the drinking water discharge path 41 extending downward from the center position of the top cover 40. there is For this reason, the top cover 40 does not press the center of the lid member 52, and the eccentric side (that is, the rear side) of the lid member 52 tends to float as shown by arrow A when an airtightness test is performed. .

Therefore, the water server 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with ribs R on the inner wall portion 10a located on the eccentric side (that is, on the rear side), and the ribs R are configured to prevent the lid member 52 from floating.

3 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the lid member 52, and FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the inner wall portion 10a. As shown in FIG. 3, the cold water tank 50 has a plurality (two) of projecting pieces 55 extending from the lid member 52 toward the inner wall portion 10a. The two protruding pieces 55 extend to a position where the rear end faces are close to the inner wall portion 10a, and the ribs R are positioned so as to contact the upper side of the protruding pieces 55 close to the inner wall portion 10a, thereby closing the lid. This prevents the member 52 from floating.

In order to prevent the lid member 52 from floating, it is also possible to form a pillar member extending downward from the back surface of the top cover 40 and press the rear side of the lid member 52 with this pillar member. However, in this case, a long member is provided on the back surface of the top cover 40, which leads to an increase in the manufacturing cost, and furthermore, the problem of sink marks leads to a deterioration in the design of the surface of the top cover 40. put away. Therefore, in the water server 1 according to this embodiment, the rib R is provided from the inner wall portion 10a located on the eccentric side.

Further, when the central position of the cold water tank 50 is eccentric with respect to the drinking water discharge passage 41, the drinking water introduction passage 53 of the lid member 52 may be displaced from the top cover 40 when the lid member 52 is installed in a different orientation. no longer coincides with road 41. That is, since the container member 51 has a circular opening and the lid member 52 has a substantially circular shape, there is a possibility that the lid member 52 is attached with a deviation in the rotational direction.

However, in the water server 1 according to the present embodiment, the two protruding pieces 55 extend to a position where the rear end faces are close to the inner wall portion 10a, so that the lid member 52 is attached at a position slightly displaced in the rotational direction. Even if an attempt is made to remove the cover member 52, one of the two protruding pieces 55 contacts the inner wall portion 10a and the lid member 52 cannot be attached.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the rib R has a positioning piece R1 that positions the two projecting pieces 55 in the width direction (horizontal direction shown in FIG. 4). More specifically, the rib Ra positioned on one side in the horizontal direction is positioned close to one side of the standing wall 55a of the projecting piece 55 that extends upward in parallel with the positioning piece R1. Similarly, the rib Rb positioned on the other side in the horizontal direction is positioned close to the other side of the standing wall 55a of the projecting piece 55 extending upward in parallel with the positioning piece R1. Therefore, an assembler in a factory or the like can position the lid member 52 more appropriately in the rotational direction by arranging the two protruding pieces 55 (particularly the standing wall 55a) so as to be sandwiched between the two positioning pieces R1. The drinking water discharge channel 41 of 40 and the drinking water introduction channel 53 of the lid member 52 can be matched.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical wall 55a is formed in an L shape when viewed from above, and rigidity is ensured. Therefore, when the rear portion of the lid member 52 tries to float, the highly rigid standing wall 55a comes into contact with the rib R, and the possibility of the projecting piece 55 breaking can be reduced.

Next, the action in the airtightness test of the water server 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

First, it is assumed that the cold water tank 50 is subjected to an airtightness test. At this time, the pressure in the cold water tank 50 gradually increases, but since the drinking water introduction path 53 of the lid member 52 is in contact with and presses the drinking water discharge path 41 of the top cover 40, the lid member Floating of 52 is prevented.

After that, when the pressure in the cold water tank 50 further increases, the center position of the cold water tank 50 is eccentric to the rear of the drinking water discharge passage 41 of the top cover 40, that is, the drinking water discharge passage 41 moves toward the front side of the lid member 52. Since it is pressed, the rear of the lid member 52 tends to float in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG.

However, since the rib R restrains the protruding piece 55 protruding from the lid member 52, floating in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 2 is prevented.

The upper end of the protruding piece 55 (the upper end of the standing wall 55a) may be in contact with the rib R, but may have some clearance as shown in FIG. In this case, the packing between the container member 51 and the lid member 52 can absorb the floating caused by the clearance.

In this manner, according to the water server 1 of the present embodiment, the rib R that suppresses the floating of the rear side of the lid member 52 is provided on the rear inner wall portion 10a. Even if it is eccentric from the drinking water discharge path 41, the rib R can suppress the side on which floating is likely to occur due to the eccentricity, and the lid member 52 can be prevented from floating even if a high pressure is applied in an airtightness test. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the lengthening of the time required for the airtightness test.

In addition, a projecting piece 55 extending from the lid member 52 toward the inner wall portion 10a is further provided, and the rib R itself is elongated to prevent the lid member 52 from floating by suppressing the floating of the projecting piece 55. It is not necessary to extend to the member 52, and it is possible to prevent the long rib R from becoming an obstacle during assembly.

Here, when the center position of the tank is eccentric with respect to the drinking water discharge passage 41, if the attachment direction of the lid member 52 is different, the drinking water introduction passage 53 of the lid member 52 is aligned with the drinking water discharge passage 41 of the top cover 40. no longer match. However, when the protruding piece 55 is positioned by the positioning piece R1 of the rib R, the positions of the drinking water discharge path 41 of the top cover 40 and the drinking water introduction path 53 of the lid member 52 are matched, so that floating is prevented. By aligning the rib R and the protruding piece 55 with each other, the drinking water discharge passage 41 and the drinking water introduction passage 53 can be aligned.

As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may be modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. techniques may be combined.

For example, in the present embodiment, the rear surface of the housing 10 is the inner wall portion 10a having the ribs R, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be the inner wall portion 10a. Furthermore, the rear surface of the housing 10 may be hollowed out, and the inner wall portion 10a having the rib R may be a plate member fitted into the hollowed-out portion.

In addition, in the water server 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the rib R prevents the lid member 52 of the cold water tank 50 from floating, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the hot water tank is provided above the cold water tank 50 and is pressed by the top cover 40, the rib R may prevent the lid member 52 of the hot water tank from floating.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, two protruding pieces 55 extend toward the inner wall portion 10a, but the number of protruding pieces 55 is not limited to this and may be one or three or more. Moreover, although the cold water tank 50 is eccentric to the rear, it is not limited to this, and may be eccentric in other directions as long as it is horizontal.

Reference Signs List 1: water server 10: housing 10a: inner wall portion 11: recessed portion 20: supply nozzle (water outlet)
30: Operation panel 40: Top cover 41: Drinking water discharge path 50: Cold water tank (tank)
51 : Container member 52 : Lid member 53 : Drinking water introduction path 53a : No peel portion 53b : Opening 54 : Air release portion 55 : Protruding piece 55a : Upright wall 60 : Air flow path 61 : Cover member A : Arrow B : Drinking water Bottle IS: Foam member R, Ra, Rb: Rib R1: Positioning piece

Claims (3)

A top cover on which a drinking water bottle is placed and whose central position extends downward to form a drinking water discharge channel; A water server that is provided with a tank that introduces and stores water, and that can provide water stored in the tank from a water outlet,
The center position of the tank is eccentric in a predetermined horizontal direction with respect to the drinking water discharge passage extending downward from the center position of the top cover,
A water server according to claim 1, wherein a rib for suppressing floating of the predetermined horizontal side of the lid member is provided on an inner wall portion positioned on the predetermined horizontal side with respect to the tank. further comprising a protruding piece extending from the lid member toward the inner wall,
2. The water server according to claim 1, wherein the rib suppresses the floating of the protrusion on the predetermined horizontal side of the lid member. The protruding piece protrudes to a position close to the inner wall,
The rib has a positioning piece for positioning the protruding piece protruding to a position close to the inner wall portion in the width direction,
3. The drinking water discharge path of the top cover and the drinking water introduction path of the lid member are aligned with each other when the projecting piece is positioned by the positioning piece of the rib. water server.

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