IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,479,953
Granted Patent B2
US 8,479,953 · App. 12/669,786 · Granted Jul 9, 2013

Beverage dispenser

Inventors: Yoshihisa Tachibana (Tokyo, JP); Takashi Nishiyama (Tokyo, JP); Kazuhide Saito (Osaka, JP); Kazuaki Mizukami (Osaka, JP); Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Osaka, JP); Takeshi Ishii (Osaka, JP); Hiroshi Yamamoto (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,479,953
App. No.
12/669,786
Granted
Jul 9, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A beverage dispenser capable of supplying a supercooled beverage without being influenced by a type of raw water. In various embodiments, the beverage dispenser includes a raw water treatment device that deaerates or filters raw water, a primary cooling device that cools the raw water to an ice point or so, and a secondary cooling device that cools the raw water into a supercooled state. In certain embodiments, the beverage dispenser further includes an anti-freezing liquid tank, a refrigerant circuit that cools the anti-freezing liquid to a supercooling temperature, and a brine circuit that circulates the anti-freezing liquid. According to certain aspects of the embodiments, a supercooled beverage can be quickly and reliably phase-changed to a different state when discharged to the outside.

Claims (53)

1. A beverage dispenser which supplies a beverage brought into a supercooled state at a solidifying point or less and which releases the supercooled state in the outside, comprising:

a treatment device that deaerates raw water;

a primary cooling device that cools the raw water treated by the treatment device to an ice point or so;

a raw water supply circuit that supplies the raw water cooled by the primary cooling device to the outside;

a secondary cooling device that cools the raw water flowing through the raw water supply circuit into the supercooled state at a solidifying point or less; and

a syrup circuit that supplies a syrup to the raw water supplied to the outside through the secondary cooling device,

wherein the treatment device further filters the raw water through a reverse osmosis film, and the secondary cooling device comprises a double pipe heat exchanger including an inner pipe and an outer pipe.

2. A beverage dispenser which supplies a beverage brought into a supercooled state at a solidifying point or less and which releases the supercooled state in the outside, comprising:

a treatment device that deaerates raw water;

a beverage generation device that mixes the raw water treated by the treatment device with a syrup to generate the beverage;

a primary cooling device that cools the beverage generated by the beverage generation device to an ice point or so;

a beverage supply circuit that supplies the beverage cooled by the primary cooling device to the outside;

a secondary cooling device that cools the beverage flowing through the beverage supply circuit into the supercooled state at a solidifying point or less;

a water tank that stores cooling water;

a cooler that cools the cooling water by a refrigerant circuit of the primary cooling device; and

first and second ice sensors that provide an ice detection signal when ice is interposed between the sensors.

3. The beverage dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the secondary cooling device further comprises:

an anti-freezing liquid tank filled with a predetermined amount of anti-freezing liquid;

a temperature sensor of the anti-freezing liquid tank;

a refrigerant circuit that cools the anti-freezing liquid in the anti-freezing liquid tank to a supercooling temperature less than about −5 degrees centigrade, based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

a brine circuit that circulates the anti-freezing liquid.

4. The beverage dispenser of claim 3 , wherein the brine circuit circulates the anti-freezing liquid to an outer pipe of the double pipe heat exchanger.

5. The beverage dispenser of claim 3 , further comprising a control device configured to, after a beverage supply instruction is given, circulate the anti-freezing liquid through the brine circuit and, after a heat exchanger cooling standby time elapses, open a beverage valve.

6. The beverage dispenser of claim 1 , further comprising:

a water tank that stores cooling water;

a cooler that cools the cooling water by a refrigerant circuit of the primary cooling device; and

first and second ice sensors that provide an ice detection signal when ice is interposed between the sensors.

7. The beverage dispenser of claim 6 , further comprising a control device that operates the primary cooling device based on the ice detection signal.

8. The beverage dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the treatment device further filters the raw water through a reverse osmosis film, and the secondary cooling device comprises a double pipe heat exchanger including an inner pipe and an outer pipe.

9. The beverage dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the secondary cooling device further comprises:

an anti-freezing liquid tank filled with a predetermined amount of anti-freezing liquid;

a temperature sensor of the anti-freezing liquid tank;

a refrigerant circuit that cools the anti-freezing liquid in the anti-freezing liquid tank to a supercooling temperature less than about −5 degrees centigrade, based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

a brine circuit that circulates the anti-freezing liquid.

10. The beverage dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the brine circuit circulates the anti-freezing liquid to an outer pipe of the double pipe heat exchanger.

11. The beverage dispenser of claim 9 , further comprising a control device configured to, after a beverage supply instruction is given, circulate the anti-freezing liquid through the brine circuit and, after a heat exchanger cooling standby time elapses, open a beverage valve.

12. The beverage dispenser of claim 2 , further comprising a control device that operates the primary cooling device based on the ice detection signal.

13. A beverage dispenser which supplies a beverage brought into a supercooled state, comprising:

a treatment device that deaerates raw water;

a primary cooling device that cools the raw water treated by the treatment device to an ice point or so; and

a secondary cooling device including a double pipe heat exchanger that cools the raw water cooled to the ice point or so into the supercooled state at a solidifying point or less.

14. The beverage dispenser of claim 13 , wherein the secondary cooling device further comprises:

an anti-freezing liquid tank filled with a predetermined amount of anti-freezing liquid;

a temperature sensor of the anti-freezing liquid tank;

a refrigerant circuit that cools the anti-freezing liquid in the anti-freezing liquid tank to a supercooling temperature less than about −5 degrees centigrade, based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor; and

a brine circuit that circulates the anti-freezing liquid.

15. The beverage dispenser of claim 14 , wherein the brine circuit circulates the anti-freezing liquid to an outer pipe of the double pipe heat exchanger.

16. The beverage dispenser of claim 14 , further comprising a control device configured to, after a beverage supply instruction is given, circulate the anti-freezing liquid through the brine circuit and, after a heat exchanger cooling standby time elapses, open a beverage valve.

17. The beverage dispenser of claim 13 , further comprising:

a water tank that stores cooling water;

a cooler that cools the cooling water by a refrigerant circuit of the primary cooling device; and

first and second ice sensors that provide an ice detection signal when ice is interposed between the sensors.

18. The beverage dispenser of claim 17 , further comprising a control device that operates the primary cooling device based on the ice detection signal.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2010
From: TACHIBANA, YOSHIHISA; NISHIYAMA, TAKASHI; SAITO, KAZUHIDE; MIZUKAMI, KAZUAKI; HASHIMOTO, HIROYUKI; ISHII, TAKESHI; YAMAMOTO, HIROSHI
To: COCA-COLA COMPANY, THE
Reel/Frame 024572/0365 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2007-189019 · Jul 20, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100276451A1 · Nov 4, 2010