JP7776326B2 - beverage dispensing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage supply device that dispenses and supplies a beverage prepared in a beverage preparation unit from a beverage dispensing unit into a drinking container such as a cup placed on a placing unit.

Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for a beverage dispenser (drink supply device) that provides tea, coffee, and other beverages to users. This beverage dispenser has a housing that forms the exterior, and the interior of the housing is divided by a partition into a mixing mechanism chamber at the front and a machine chamber at the rear. The mixing mechanism chamber within the housing has a canister at the top that stores powdered ingredients for the beverage, and a mixing case below the canister that stirs and mixes the powdered ingredients with water to produce the beverage. Also provided at the bottom of the mixing mechanism chamber within the housing is a cup stage (receiving portion) on which a drinking container such as a cup is placed, a dispensing portion cover that covers the left and right sides, rear, and top of the drinking container such as a cup placed on the cup stage, and a drink guide above the cup stage that guides the beverage produced in the mixing case to the drinking container on the cup stage.

In this beverage dispenser, when the powdered ingredients in the canister and the water used as the raw water are supplied to the mixing case, the powdered ingredients and water are stirred and mixed in the mixing case to produce a beverage. The produced beverage is then guided by the drink guide to the top of a beverage container such as a cup placed on the cup stage and dispensed into the cup or other beverage container from the dispensing outlet (beverage dispensing section).

JP 2013-102786 A

In the beverage dispenser of Patent Document 1, the cup stage and dispensing unit cover are prone to overflowing or splashing beverages during dispensing. Therefore, the cup stage and dispensing unit cover are detachable from the housing, allowing for cleaning and other maintenance with the cup stage and dispensing unit cover removed. While this type of beverage dispenser is capable of dispensing beverages into low-profile drinking containers such as cups, there is a demand for the ability to dispense beverages into taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers. In this case, increasing the height of the dispensing unit cover and positioning the drink guide higher allows taller drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers to be placed on the cup stage. In this type of beverage dispenser, the cup stage and dispensing unit cover are molded from resin. Therefore, increasing the height of the dispensing unit cover may cause the top of the dispensing unit cover to distort and tilt laterally, potentially shifting the dispensing outlet on the drink guide from its center. In response to this issue, if the thickness of the spout cover is increased or if the spout cover is secured to the rear partition plate with screws or the like, the upper part of the spout cover will be less likely to tilt left or right. However, increasing the thickness of the spout cover increases manufacturing costs, and securing the spout cover to the partition plate with screws or the like reduces ease of attachment and removal and results in a poor appearance. The present invention aims to make it less likely for the cover to tilt left or right, even if the height of the cover part of the mounting part is increased to accommodate tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers, without increasing costs or compromising ease of attachment and removal.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a beverage supply device comprising: a beverage preparation unit that prepares a beverage in a front portion of a housing; a beverage extraction unit that extracts the beverage prepared in the beverage preparation unit in the front portion of the housing; a placing unit that is disposed in the front portion of the housing at a position spaced apart from a side wall of the housing and that is adapted to place a drinking container thereon to receive the beverage extracted from the beverage extraction unit; and a partition plate that is disposed behind the placing unit within the housing and that separates the housing into front and rear portions. and a cover portion having left and right side walls, a rear wall and a top wall that are open at the front and bottom of the upper side of the receiving base portion and cover the left and right sides, rear and top of the upper side of the receiving base portion, and an engaging portion and an engaged portion are provided on one side of the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and on the other side of a position on the partition plate opposite the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, which engage with each other to restrict left and right movement of the upper rear wall of the cover portion, and a positioning recess is formed in the top wall to position the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the receiving base portion.

In the beverage dispenser configured as described above, the placement unit includes a base portion disposed at the front of the housing for placing a beverage container thereon, and a cover portion having left and right side walls, a rear wall, and a top wall above the base portion, with the front and bottom sides open and covering the left and right sides, rear , and top of the upper portion of the base portion. The upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and the partition plate, facing the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, are provided with an engaging portion and an engaged portion that engage with each other to restrict left and right movement of the upper rear wall of the cover portion. The top wall is formed with a positioning recess that positions the beverage dispensing unit horizontally relative to the placement unit . By engaging the engaging portion with the engaged portion, the upper portion of the cover portion of the placement unit is less likely to be distorted or tilted left and right. This prevents the upper portion of the cover portion from being distorted or tilted left and right, even if the cover portion is tall, without increasing the thickness of the cover portion, which would increase manufacturing costs, or without fixing the cover portion to the partition plate with screws or other devices, which would reduce ease of attachment and detachment. In addition, the cover portion has an upper wall that covers the top of the receiving base portion, and the upper wall has a positioning recess formed therein that positions the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the receiving base portion.This prevents the upper part of the cover portion from tilting left or right, and therefore the positioning recess in the upper wall of the cover portion does not shift left or right relative to the receiving base portion, preventing the beverage dispensing portion, which is positioned in the positioning recess, from shifting left or right relative to the receiving base portion.

In a beverage dispenser configured as described above, it is preferable to provide a pair of left and right engaging plate portions protruding rearward as engaging portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover, and an engaged protrusion protruding forward as an engaged portion at a position on the partition plate opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions and engaging between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions. In this case, when attaching the mounting portion to the housing, the mounting portion can be moved rearward so that the engaging protrusions of the partition plate are inserted between the pair of left and right engaged plate portions, and then the mounting portion can be attached to the front bottom of the housing by moving it downward, facilitating the attachment and detachment of the mounting portion.

1 is a front view of a beverage supply device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the state in which the front panel of FIG. 1 is removed. A longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line AA. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the placement portion, the engagement projection, and the beverage guide of FIG. 3 moved forward. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the placement unit as seen from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of the placement unit as seen from the rear. This is a perspective view of the partition plate as seen from the rear side, and the enlarged view of the circle indicated by the dashed line is a view in which the engaging plate portion and the engaged protrusion portion are indicated by solid lines so as not to show the partition plate. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a hot water supply section and a cold water supply section are connected to a raw water supply port formed in the base. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hot water supply section and a cold water supply section. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device.

One embodiment of the beverage supply device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The beverage supply device 10 of the present invention is also called a beverage dispenser, and is capable of supplying five types of hot beverages, such as hot tea, including hot water, and five types of cold beverages, such as cold tea, including cold water (water), into a drinking container such as a cup. Furthermore, this beverage supply device 10 is capable of supplying beverages to tall drinking containers, such as small water bottles and tumblers, in addition to low drinking containers such as cups.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the beverage dispenser 10 has a housing 11 that is roughly rectangular parallelepiped in shape, a beverage preparation chamber 20 in the front part of the housing 11 that mixes powdered ingredients such as tea with hot and/or cold water to prepare a beverage such as tea, and a machine chamber 21 in the rear part of the housing 11. A partition plate 22 is provided inside the housing 11 to separate the interior into a front and a rear, and the interior of the housing 11 is divided into the beverage preparation chamber 20 and the machine chamber 21 by the partition plate 22.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the housing 11 comprises a housing main body 12 that is open at the front, and a front panel 13 that closes the front opening of the housing main body 12. The front panel 13 is supported on the right side of the housing main body 12 so that it can rotate about a vertical axis. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an opening 13a is formed in the left-right center of the lower part of the front panel 13, and a mounting section 23 for placing a container such as a cup is provided at the lower part of the beverage preparation chamber 20 within the housing 11, at the position where this opening 13a is formed. The mounting section 23 in this embodiment can accommodate not only low drinking containers such as cups, but also tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting portion 23 is detachably attached to the front bottom of the housing 11. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the mounting portion 23 includes a base 24 on which a drinking vessel such as a cup is placed, and a cover 27 that covers the top of the base 24. The base 24 includes a shallow, dish-shaped tray 25 made of resin, and a drainboard 26 made of resin and installed on top of the tray 25. A drain port (not shown) is formed in the tray 25 slightly rearward and leftward from the center in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions, and the tray 25 slopes downward so that the drain port is at the bottom. The drain port of the tray 25 is connected to the drain port 12a (shown in FIG. 5) formed on the front bottom of the housing main body 12. Legs 25a that protrude downward are formed on the underside of the four corners of the tray 25, and the front leg 25a has a cylindrical shape with a column-shaped recess formed inside. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, a positioning protrusion 12b for positioning the mounting portion 23 is provided on the front bottom of the housing main body 12, and the positioning protrusion 12b is removably fitted into a recess in the front leg 25a. With the positioning protrusion 12b fitted into the recess in the front leg 25a, the mounting portion 23 is positioned horizontally at the front bottom of the housing 11 and is restricted from moving in the horizontal direction (front-to-back and left-to-right directions).

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the drainboard portion 26 is used to place a drinking vessel such as a cup on it so that water can flow through it, and is removably attached to the top of the tray portion 25. A circular recessed marker portion 26a is formed in the center of the front of the drainboard portion 26 in the left-right direction, serving as a marker for placing a drinking vessel such as a cup. This circular recessed marker portion 26a is located directly below the beverage outlet portion 42 of the beverage guide 40, from which the beverage produced in the beverage production portion 31 (described below) is poured.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cover portion 27 is open at the front and bottom and includes left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and a top wall 27c that cover the upper left and right sides, rear, and top of the receiving base portion 24. The cover portion 27 is formed by integrally molding the left and right side walls 27a, the rear wall 27b, and the top wall 27c from a resin material. The cover portion 27 in this embodiment has a height that allows it to accommodate taller drinking vessels than low drinking vessels such as small water bottles and cups, including tumblers. As shown in Figure 4, the lower end of the cover portion 27 is fitted inside the periphery of the receiving tray portion 25 and rests on a step 25b formed on the periphery of the receiving tray portion 25. Because the cover portion 27 rests on the step 25b on the periphery of the receiving tray portion 25, it can be attached and detached by moving it up and down relative to the receiving tray portion 25.

As shown in Figure 6, a positioning recess 27d consisting of a notch is formed in the front part of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 in the center in the left-right direction, and the positioning recess 27d is located directly above the marker portion 26a formed on the bottom board portion 26 of the receiving base portion 24, which serves as a marker for placing a drinking container. As shown in Figure 3, the beverage dispensing portion 42 of the beverage guide 40 is located in the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c, and the beverage dispensing portion 42 is located in the positioning recess 27d, so that it is located directly above the marker portion 26a, which serves as a marker for placing a drinking container. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a plate-shaped locking protrusion 27e that protrudes rearward is formed at the rear end of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27, and the locking protrusion 27e abuts against the partition plate 22, preventing the upper part of the cover portion 27 from tilting rearward.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a pair of left and right plate-shaped engaging plate portions (engaging portions) 27f are provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, protruding rearward below the locking protrusions 27e. As shown in Figures 5 and 8, the partition plate 22 is provided with forward-protruding engaged protrusions (engaged portions) 28, which are made of the heads of screw members, at positions opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f. The engaging plate portions 27f are plate-shaped and extend rearward and up and down so that their thickness direction is the left-right direction. The pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f are spaced apart so that a width in the thickness direction is slightly greater than the distance between the engaged protrusions 28, which are made of the heads of the screw members. The upper ends of the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f are connected to the undersides of the locking protrusions 27e, so the locking protrusions 27e and the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f reinforce each other and are less likely to break. An engaged protrusion 28 engages between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, preventing the upper part of the cover portion 27 from distorting and tilting left and right.

As shown in FIG. 3, the beverage preparation chamber 20 is provided with a beverage supply unit 30 that supplies beverages into containers placed on the placement unit 23. In this embodiment, the beverage preparation chamber 20 is provided with four beverage supply units 30 for supplying hot or cold water and powdered ingredients for four types of hot or cold beverages other than hot or cold water. Since the four beverage supply units 30 other than hot or cold water have substantially the same configuration, the following explanation will mainly use one beverage supply unit 30.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the beverage supply unit 30 supplies beverages to containers placed on the mounting unit 23, and includes a beverage production unit 31 that produces beverages from raw water consisting of hot and/or cold water (cold water) and powdered beverage ingredients, and a beverage guide 40 that guides the beverage produced in the beverage production unit 31 to the container on the mounting unit 23. The beverage production unit 31 includes a powdered ingredient container 32 that stores the powdered beverage ingredients, a mixing container 33 that mixes the powdered beverage ingredients with the raw water, and an agitator 34 that agitates and mixes the powdered ingredients and the raw water in the mixing container 33.

The powdered ingredient container 32 stores powdered ingredients for a powdered beverage such as tea, and is detachably attached to the base 14 provided in the beverage preparation chamber 20. A powdered ingredient outlet 32a is provided at the bottom of the powdered ingredient container 32, and the powdered ingredients are discharged from the outlet 32a into the mixing container 33. A screw 32b is provided at the bottom of the powdered ingredient container 32, and the drive of a motor 32d is transmitted to the screw 32b via a coupling member 32c. When the screw 32b is rotated by the rotation of the motor 32d, the powdered ingredients in the powdered ingredient container 32 are discharged from the outlet 32a into the mixing container 33.

As shown in Figure 4, the mixing container 33 stirs and mixes powdered ingredients with raw water consisting of hot and/or cold water, and is removably supported on the base 14 provided in the beverage preparation chamber 20. The mixing container 33 opens at the bottom of the powdered ingredient container 32, and powdered ingredients discharged from the discharge port 32a of the powdered ingredient container 32 are carried into the mixing container 33. A discharge port 33a is formed at the bottom of the mixing container 33, and the beverage stirred and mixed in the mixing container 33 is discharged from the discharge port 33a into the beverage guide 40 provided below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the base 14 is provided with a raw water supply port 14a for supplying raw water consisting of hot and/or cold water (cold water) into the mixing container 33. The hot water supply unit 50 and the cold water supply unit 60, which will be described later, are connected to the raw water supply port 14a, and hot and/or cold water as raw water sent from the hot water supply unit 50 and/or the cold water supply unit 60 is supplied to the mixing container 33 through the raw water supply port 14a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mixing vessel 33 is provided with an agitator 34. The agitator 34 includes an agitator motor 34a mounted on the base 14 at the rear of the mixing vessel 33, a rotating shaft 34d rotated by the agitator motor 34a, and a disk 34e attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 34d. A coupling magnet 34b is attached to the output shaft of the agitator motor 34a, and a coupling magnet 34c is attached to the base end of the rotating shaft 34d facing the agitator motor 34a. The rotating shaft 34d is detachably coupled to the agitator motor 34a via the coupling magnets 34b and 34c, and the agitator motor 34a rotates the rotating shaft 34d via the coupling magnets 34b and 34c. The rotating shaft 34d extends above the discharge port 33a at the bottom of the mixing vessel 33, and a disk 34e is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 34d above the discharge port 33a. A stirring blade 34f is provided on the underside of the disc portion 34e at the tip of the rotating shaft 34d, and the powdered ingredients and raw water in the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed by the rotation of the disc portion 34e to produce a beverage.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the beverage guide 40 guides the beverage produced in the beverage production unit 31 to a drinking container placed on the mounting unit 23, and is supported on the upper side of the cover unit 27 of the mounting unit 23. The beverage guide 40 comprises a shallow, box-shaped guide unit 41 that extends from below the discharge port 33a of the mixing container 33 to the center in the left-right direction at the front of the mounting unit 23, and a beverage dispensing unit 42 that dispenses the beverage; the guide unit 41 and beverage dispensing unit 42 are integrally formed.

The guide section 41 has a beverage passage that extends to the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23, and this beverage passage is inclined downward so that the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23 is at the bottom. The beverage produced in each beverage production section 31 is guided by the guide section 41 to the left-right center at the front of the mounting section 23. The guide section 41 has a beverage dispensing section 42 located downstream of the beverage passage.

As shown in FIG. 10, the hot water supply unit 50 supplies hot water that serves as the raw water for the beverage received in a container such as a cup on the mounting unit 23. The hot water supply unit 50 is equipped with a hot water storage tank 51 that stores the hot water that serves as the raw water for the beverage, and a first water supply pipe 52 that leads from a water supply source such as a tap is connected to the hot water storage tank 51. First and second water supply valves 52a, 52b are installed in the first water supply pipe 52, and water from the water supply source is supplied to the hot water storage tank 51 by opening the first and second water supply valves 52a, 52b.

The hot water storage tank 51 is provided with a heater 53 and a temperature sensor 54. The heater 53 heats the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51 to produce hot water. The temperature sensor 54 detects the temperature of the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51. The heater 53 is controlled to operate based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 54, and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is heated (kept warm) by the heater 53 to a temperature suitable for drinking. In addition, a water level sensor 55 is provided in the hot water storage tank 51, and the water level sensor 55 detects the water level in the hot water storage tank 51. The first and second water supply valves 52a, 52b are controlled to open and close based on the water level detected by the water level sensor 55, and the water (hot water) in the hot water storage tank 51 is maintained within a predetermined water level range.

A hot water supply pipe 56 is connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 51, and a hot water supply pump 57 is installed in the hot water supply pipe 56. The hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is sent to the hot water supply pipe 56 by the hot water supply pump 57. In addition, first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e, each consisting of a three-way valve, are installed in the hot water supply pipe 56, and first to fifth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59e are connected to the first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e. The outlet end of the first hot water delivery pipe 59a is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the left-hand beverage supply unit 30, the outlet end of the second hot water delivery pipe 59b is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the second-from-the-left beverage supply unit 30, the outlet end of the third hot water delivery pipe 59c is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the third-from-the-left (second-from-the-right) beverage supply unit 30, and the outlet end of the fourth hot water delivery pipe 59d is connected to the raw water supply port 14a of the right-hand beverage supply unit 30. The outlet end of the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e is connected to the hot or cold water beverage outlet 42 of the beverage guide 40.

By operating the hot water supply pump 57 and opening one of the first to fourth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58d, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is supplied to the mixing container 33 through the hot water delivery pipe 56 and the first to fourth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59d corresponding to the opened first to fourth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58d. Furthermore, by operating the hot water supply pump 57 and opening the fifth hot water delivery valve 58e, the hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is supplied to a container such as a cup placed on the mounting portion 23 through the hot water delivery pipe 56 and the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e.

As shown in Figure 10, the water supply unit 60 supplies cold water (water) that will be used as the raw material for the beverage received in a container such as a cup on the mounting unit 23. The water supply unit 60 is equipped with a cooling tank 61 for generating the cold water that will be used as the raw material for the beverage, and the cooling tank 61 stores the cooled water. In addition, an evaporation pipe 62 of a refrigeration unit is provided within the cooling tank 61, and the cooled water in the cooling tank 61 is cooled by the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant circulating through the evaporation pipe 62 of the refrigeration unit. A water cooling pipe 63 is provided within the cooling tank 61 for cooling the water that will be used as the raw material.

A second water supply pipe 64 extending from the first water supply pipe 52 immediately downstream of the first water supply valve 52a (between the first water supply valve 52a and the second water supply valve 52b) is connected to the water inlet end of the water cooling pipe 63. Water from a water supply source, such as a city water supply, is delivered to the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 through a part of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64. A water supply pipe 65 is connected to the water outlet end of the water cooling pipe 63, and cold water cooled by the water cooling pipe 63 is delivered to the water supply pipe 65. The water supply pipe 65 has four branches 65a to 65d, and first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e are installed between the pipe sections extending from the branches 65a to 65d and the tip 65e of the water supply pipe 65. The first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e are connected to the first to fifth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67e, and the outlet ends of the first to fifth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67e are connected to the middle portions of the first to fifth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59e.

By opening the first water supply valve 52a and any one of the first to fourth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66d, water from the water supply source is sent through a portion of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64 to the water cooling pipe 63 of the cooling tank 61, where it is cooled and becomes cold water. The cold water cooled in the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 is supplied into the mixing vessel 33 through the water delivery pipe 65, the first to fourth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67d corresponding to the opened first to fourth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66d, and the first to fourth hot water delivery pipes 59a to 59d connected to the first to fourth cold water delivery pipes 67a to 67d. Furthermore, by opening the first water supply valve 52a and the fifth cold water delivery valve 66e, water from the water supply source is sent through part of the first water supply pipe 52 and the second water supply pipe 64 to the water cooling pipe 63 of the cooling tank 61, where it is cooled and becomes cold water. The cold water cooled in the water cooling pipe 63 in the cooling tank 61 is then supplied to a container such as a cup placed on the mounting portion 23 through the water supply pipe 65, the fifth cold water delivery pipe 67e, and the fifth hot water delivery pipe 59e.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an operation panel unit 70 for dispensing beverages from the beverage supply unit 30 is provided above the opening 13a on the front surface of the front panel 13. A display panel 71 for displaying the type of beverage is provided in the center of the operation panel unit 70 in the left-right direction, and a contact-type supply operation unit 72 and a non-contact-type supply operation unit 73 are provided adjacent to both the left and right sides of the display panel 71 on the operation panel unit 70 as supply operation units for operating to dispense beverages from the beverage supply unit 30.

In this embodiment, five contact-type supply operation units 72 for dispensing five types of cold beverages are arranged vertically on the left side of the display panel 71, and five non-contact supply operation units 73 for dispensing the same beverages as the contact-type supply operation units 72 are arranged to the left of the contact-type supply operation units 72. Five contact-type supply operation units 74 for dispensing five types of hot beverages are arranged vertically on the right side of the display panel 71, and five non-contact supply operation units 75 for dispensing the same beverages as the contact-type supply operation units 74 are arranged to the right of the contact-type supply operation units 74. The contact-type supply operation units 72, 74 and non-contact supply operation units 73, 75, except for the bottommost, output operation signals to dispense beverages from the beverage dispensers 30 arranged from left to right, and the bottommost contact-type supply operation units 72, 74 and non-contact supply operation units 73, 75 output operation signals to dispense cold or hot water.

As shown in FIG. 11, the beverage dispenser 10 is equipped with a control device 80 that controls the supply of beverages to containers placed on the mounting section 23. The control device 80 is connected to the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d, the stirring motor 34a, the first and second water supply valves 52a and 52b, the heater 53, the temperature sensor 54, the water level sensor 55, the hot water pump 57, the first to fifth hot water delivery valves 58a to 58e, the first to fifth cold water delivery valves 66a to 66e, and the operation panel section 70.

The control device 80 is equipped with beverage supply means for supplying beverages prepared by the beverage supply unit 30, including a cold beverage supply means for supplying a cold beverage using cold water (cold water) cooled in the cooling tank 61 in an amount corresponding to the capacity of a container such as a cup, a cold water supply means for supplying cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 to a container such as a cup, a hot beverage supply means for supplying a hot beverage using hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 in an amount corresponding to the capacity of a container such as a cup, and a hot water supply means for supplying hot water from the hot water storage tank 51 to a container such as a cup.

When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 72 is pressed, or when an operation signal is input when one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 73 is pressed with an object such as a finger in front of it, the control device 80 executes the cold beverage supply means corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, and controls the beverage supply unit 30 to supply a cold beverage. When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 72 is pressed, or when an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when an object such as a finger is pressed with the lowest non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, the control device 80 executes the cold water supply means to supply cold water from the beverage supply unit 30.

When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 74 is pressed, or when an operation signal is input when one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 75 is pressed with an object such as a finger in front of it, the control device 80 executes the hot beverage supply means corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75, and controls the beverage supply unit 30 to supply a hot beverage. When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 74 is pressed, or when an operation signal is input to the control device 80 when an object such as a finger is pressed with the lowest non-contact-type supply operation unit 75, the control device 80 executes the hot water supply means to supply hot water from the beverage supply unit 30.

Next, we will explain the control of the cold beverage supply means, cold water supply means, hot beverage supply means, and hot water supply means. When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 72, or by holding an object such as a finger over the front of one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 73, the control device 80 executes the cold beverage supply means. By executing the cold beverage supply means, the control device 80 activates the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d of the beverage supply unit 30 corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73, and opens the first water supply valve 52a and the first through fourth cold water delivery valves 66a-66d corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 72 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 73. The powdered ingredients in the powdered ingredient container 32 are delivered to the mixing container 33, and cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 is supplied to the mixing container 33. Furthermore, by operating the stirring motor 34a of the stirring device 34, the powdered beverage ingredients and cold water supplied to the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed to produce a cold beverage. The resulting cold beverage is then passed through the guide section 41 and poured from the beverage dispensing section 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the mounting section 23, providing the cold beverage to the user.

When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 72, or by holding an object such as a finger in front of the lowest non-contact type supply operation unit 73, the control device 80 executes the cold water supply means. By executing the cold water supply means stage, the control device 80 opens the first water supply valve 52a and the fifth cold water delivery valve 66e for a time period appropriate to the container. The cold water cooled in the cooling tank 61 is dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the mounting unit 23, and cold water (cold beverage) is supplied to the user.

When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing one of the top four contact-type supply operation units 74, or by holding an object such as a finger over the front of one of the top four non-contact-type supply operation units 75, the control device 80 executes the hot beverage supply means. By executing the hot beverage supply means, the control device 80 activates the beverage ingredient delivery motor 32d of the beverage supply unit 30 corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75, operates the hot water pump 57, and opens the first through fourth hot water delivery valves 58a through 58d corresponding to the operated contact-type supply operation unit 74 or non-contact-type supply operation unit 75. The powdered ingredients in the powdered ingredient container 32 are delivered to the mixing container 33, and hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is supplied to the mixing container 33. Furthermore, by operating the stirring motor 34a of the stirring device 34, the powdered beverage ingredients and hot water supplied to the mixing container 33 are stirred and mixed to produce a hot beverage. The resulting hot beverage is then passed through the guide section 41 and poured from the beverage dispensing section 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the mounting section 23, and the hot beverage is provided to the user.

When an operation signal is input to the control device 80 by pressing the lowest contact-type supply operation unit 74, or by holding an object such as a finger in front of the lowest non-contact type supply operation unit 75, the control device 80 executes the hot water supply means. By executing the hot water supply means, the control device 80 operates the hot water pump 57 for a time period corresponding to the container and opens the fifth hot water delivery valve 58e. Hot water in the hot water storage tank 51 is dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42 into a drinking container such as a cup on the mounting unit 23, and hot water (hot beverage) is supplied to the user.

When this beverage dispenser 10 uses the beverage dispenser described above to dispense a beverage into a drinking container such as a cup, the beverage overflowing from the drinking container may adhere to the receiving base 24 of the mounting unit 23, and the beverage splashing up when dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42 may adhere to the receiving base 24 and cover 27 of the mounting unit 23. This beverage dispenser 10 is equipped with a cleaning means for cleaning the mixing container 33 and beverage guide 40. When this cleaning means is used, the washed hot water is discharged into the receiving base 24 of the mounting unit 23, and the powdered beverage contained in the washed hot water may remain on the receiving base 24 as dirt.

The mounting portion 23 is detachably attached within the housing body 12, and can be removed from within the housing body 12 for cleaning or other maintenance. When reattaching the mounting portion 23 to the housing body 12 after cleaning or other maintenance, the mounting portion 23 is moved rearward from the front of the housing body 12 toward the front. The engaged protrusions 28, consisting of the heads of the screw members provided on the partition plate 22, are engaged with the lower portion between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f at the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion 27. With the engaged protrusions 28 engaged between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, the mounting portion 23 is moved downward. Because the engaged protrusions 28 are formed using the circular heads of the screw members, the engaged protrusions 28 can easily be engaged between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f even if there is a lateral misalignment between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f and the engaged protrusions 28. Furthermore, because the pair of engaging plate portions 27f are formed below the locking protrusions 27e, moving the mounting portion 23 rearward using the locking protrusions 27e as a guide makes it easier to engage the engaged protrusions 28 between the pair of engaging plate portions 27f.

The engaging protrusion 28 engages with the upper portion between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, and the positioning protrusion 12b of the housing main body 12 fits into the recess in the front leg 25a of the receiving tray 25, so the placing portion 23 is attached in a positioned state to the front bottom of the housing main body 12. In this state, the engaging protrusion 28 of the partition plate 22 engages between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions 27f, preventing the upper portion of the cover portion 27 from tilting left or right. This prevents the positioning recess 27d on the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 from shifting backward or left or right, and prevents the beverage dispensing portion 42 of the beverage guide 40, which engages with the positioning recess 27d, from shifting backward or left or right relative to the marker portion 26a of the receiving base 24.

The beverage dispenser 10 configured as described above comprises a beverage preparation unit 31 that prepares a beverage in the front portion of the housing 11, a beverage dispensing unit 42 that dispenses the beverage prepared by the beverage preparation unit 31 in the front portion of the housing 11, a mounting unit 23 that supports a drinking container in the front portion of the housing 11 to receive the beverage dispensed from the beverage dispensing unit 42, and a partition plate 22 that is disposed behind the mounting unit 23 within the housing 11 and separates the housing 11 into a front and a rear portion. In this beverage dispenser 10, the mounting unit 23 comprises a receiving base 24 that is disposed in the front portion of the housing 11 and supports a drinking container, and a cover 27 that is disposed above the receiving base 24 and has a rear wall 27b that covers at least the rear of the upper side of the receiving base 24.

In this beverage dispenser 10, a pair of left and right engagement plates 27f are provided as engagement portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, and a non-engagement protrusion 28 is provided as a non-engagement portion on the partition plate 22 at a position facing the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion 27. The non-engagement protrusion 28 of the partition plate 22 engages between the pair of engagement plates 27f on the upper rear wall of the cover portion 27, thereby restricting left-right movement of the upper part of the cover portion 27. As in this embodiment, even if the cover portion 27 is tall so that tall drinking containers such as small water bottles and tumblers can be placed on the pedestal portion 24, it is possible to prevent the upper part of the cover portion 27 from distorting and tilting in the left-right direction without increasing the thickness of the cover portion 27, which would increase manufacturing costs, or reducing ease of attachment and detachment by fixing the cover portion 27 to the partition plate 22 with screws or the like. The cover portion 27 has left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and an upper wall 27c, but the same effects as those described above can be obtained even if only the rear wall 27b is provided.

In this embodiment, the cover portion 27 has an upper wall 27c that covers the top of the pedestal portion 24, and the upper wall 27c is formed with a positioning recess 27d that positions the beverage dispensing portion 42 horizontally relative to the pedestal portion 24. Because the upper portion of the cover portion 27 is prevented from tilting left or right, the positioning recess 27d of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 does not shift left or right relative to the pedestal portion 24, and the beverage dispensing portion 42 positioned in the positioning recess 27d can be prevented from shifting left or right relative to the pedestal portion 24. In particular, the slat portion 26 of the pedestal portion 24 is provided with a marker portion 26a that serves as a marker for placing a drinking container, and the positioning recess 27d is located directly above the marker portion 26a. Because the upper part of the cover portion 27 does not shift left or right, the positioning recess 27d on the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 does not shift left or right relative to the marker portion 26a of the pedestal portion 24, and the beverage dispensing portion 42, which is positioned by engaging with the positioning recess 27d, also does not shift left or right relative to the marker portion 26a of the pedestal portion 24. Although the cover portion 27 has left and right side walls 27a, a rear wall 27b, and a top wall 27c, the same effects as described above can be achieved even if it only has the rear wall 27b and the top wall 27c.

In this embodiment of the beverage dispenser 10, a pair of left and right engaging plates 27f are provided as engaging portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, and engaged protrusions 28 are provided on the partition plate 22 as engaged portions. However, this is not limited to this. Alternatively, an engaged protrusion protruding rearward may be provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27 as the engaged portion, and a pair of left and right engaging plates protruding forward and extending up and down may be provided at a position opposite the engaged portion on the partition plate 22, engaging with the engaged portions on both left and right sides of the engaged protrusions. Furthermore, the shape of the engaging portion is not limited to a pair of engaging plates provided on both left and right sides of the engaged protrusion, and the shape of the engaged portion is an engaging protrusion provided between the pair of engaging plates. The engaging portion and engaged portion may have other shapes as long as they can engage with each other to restrict left-right movement of the upper part of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27.

In this embodiment of the beverage dispenser 10, the rear end of the upper wall 27c of the cover portion 27 is provided with a locking protrusion 27e that protrudes rearward. The locking protrusion 27e abuts against the partition plate 22, preventing the upper part of the cover portion 27 from tilting rearward. The pair of left and right engagement plate portions 27f, which serve as engagement portions provided on the upper rear surface of the rear wall 27b of the cover portion 27, have the same rearward protrusion length as the locking protrusions 27e, so that the engagement plate portions 27f can have the function of the locking protrusions 27e, thereby eliminating the need for the locking protrusions 27e.

10...beverage dispenser, 11...housing, 22...partition plate, 23...placement portion, 24...receiving base portion, 27...cover portion, 27d...positioning recess, 27f...engaging portion (pair of engaging plate portions), 28...engaged portion (engaged protrusion portion), 31...beverage preparation portion, 42...beverage dispensing portion.

Claims (2)

a beverage preparation unit for preparing a beverage at a front portion within the housing;
a beverage dispenser located at a front portion of the housing and configured to dispense the beverage prepared by the beverage preparation unit;
a placing portion disposed at a front portion of the housing at a position spaced apart from a side wall of the housing, on which a drinking container for receiving a beverage dispensed from the beverage dispenser is placed;
a partition plate disposed behind the placement portion in the housing to separate the interior of the housing into front and rear sections,
The placing section includes a receiving section disposed in the front part of the housing and on which the drinking container is placed, and a cover section having left and right side walls, a rear wall, and a top wall that is open at the front and bottom sides above the receiving section and covers the left and right sides, rear, and top of the upper side of the receiving section,
an engaging portion and an engaged portion are provided on one side of an upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion and a position of the partition plate facing the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion, the engaging portion and the engaged portion engaging with each other to restrict movement of the upper rear wall of the cover portion in the left-right direction ;
The beverage dispenser is characterized in that a positioning recess is formed in the upper wall to position the beverage dispensing portion horizontally relative to the pedestal portion . The beverage supply device according to claim 1 ,
a pair of left and right engagement plate portions protruding rearward as the engagement portions on the upper rear surface of the rear wall of the cover portion;
A beverage supply device characterized in that the partition plate is provided with an engaged protrusion at a position opposite the pair of left and right engaging plate portions, which protrudes forward as the engaged portion and engages between the pair of left and right engaging plate portions.