BEVERAGE DISPENSING
Among other things, beverages are dispensed from one or more beverage dispensers based on selections made by users. Information about the dispensing of the beverages is sent to a central server where it is used to manage a variety of functions including replacement of depleted supplies of components. Various features of the beverage dispensers enable the beverages that are dispensed to be uniform and appealing to users.
1 . An apparatus for use in dispensing a beverage from a beverage dispenser into a consumption container, comprising
a main passage having (a) an inlet end where a base liquid for a beverage is to be received from a base liquid tube of the beverage dispenser and (b) an outlet end where the base liquid is to be dispensed through air towards a consumption container, the base liquid flowing along a dispensing path from the inlet to the consumption container, and
two or more outlets of additive tubes of the beverage dispenser, the outlets opening at different locations to eject different additives selectively and separately into the dispensing path to mix with the base liquid at a location that is outside of the base liquid tube and outside the additive tubes to form a beverage in the consumption container.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which the main passage has a central axis aligned with the dispensing path and the outlets of the additive tubes have axes that are oriented to intersect the central axis of the main passage.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which the main passage has a central axis aligned with the dispensing path and the outlets of the additive tubes have axes that are oriented other than parallel to the central axis.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which the main passage has a central axis aligned with the dispensing path and the outlets of the additive tubes have axes that are oriented other than perpendicular to the central axis,
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which the main passage has a central axis aligned with the dispensing path and the outlets of the additive tubes have axes that intersect the central axis at an angle of 45%.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising
a control device to cause flow of the base liquid for the beverage to begin and causes flow of one or more additives from the outlets of the additive tubes to begin only after the base liquid has begun to flow along the dispensing path.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising
a control device to cause flow from any of the outlets of the additive tubes to stop and to cause flow of the base liquid for the beverage to stop only after the ejecting of the additives has stopped.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising
pressure devices to causes the additives to be ejected in pressurized streams across the dispensing path.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 in which the outlets are around a circle centered on a central axis of the dispensing path.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a light source oriented to illuminate at least part of the base liquid as it moves along the dispensing path.
11 . The apparatus of claim 10 in which a characteristic of light from the light source corresponds to a characteristic of the beverage.
12 . The apparatus of claim 11 in which the characteristic of the light is at least one of color, intensity, direction, and timing, and the characteristic of the beverage is at least one of flavor, temperature, and level of carbonation.