EP0989091A1 - Beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A dispensing valve (2) apportions drinks. An input unit (1) fitted on the operating surface of the machine's case (3) regulates one or more dispensing valves. The input unit consists of a touch-sensitive screen for placing orders. Various parameters such as the temperature of the drink are viewable on the screen.

Description

The invention relates to a beverage dispensing device with at least one dispensing valve for portioning drinks and one on a control surface of the device housing arranged input unit for controlling the at least one serving valve.

In previously known beverage dispensing devices of this type, the corresponding input is made when input Keypads on the housing of the device are fully automated Filling of drinking glasses via various serving valves. For everyone to be served Beverage dispenser is provided with its own dispensing valve, whereby it is used to avoid large beverage liquid deliveries to the catering industry is also common, one Dilute beverage syrup by adding soda water to the serving valve, that this creates the finished drink. In addition, other serving valves for various other drinks, such as beer, wine, spirits or similar intended his. Typically there are approximately eight in a row next to each other Valves combined in one housing, one for each serving valve Keypad is arranged on a control surface, with the help of which various parameters, e.g. Dispensing volume, concentration, mixing ratio, etc. can be set can. Due to the automated output from a connected computer from a variety of monitoring and accounting functions. On it is possible to achieve a satisfactory dispensing of beverages, the dispensing device itself is due to the arrangement of several serving valves and the many individual buttons The keypads are relatively bulky and therefore require a lot of space for installation. It is therefore alluding to the somewhat chunky shape as a bar designated. Especially in small restaurants there is the problem that for a such device in addition to e.g. an espresso machine and other the bar facilities do not have enough floor space, although the inside the housing of the beverage dispenser components in a lot for smaller housings. The individual keys on the keypad are also subject to various signs of wear that lead to a failure of the device can.

The object of the invention is therefore a beverage dispenser of the type mentioned Specify a way to control the dispensing of a variety of beverages on one relatively small area and a reduction in the size of the device housing is made possible and in which the mechanical wear of the input elements is reduced by one enable lower failure rates.

According to the invention this is achieved in that the input unit by at least one touch-sensitive screen is formed.

In this way, the control required for the at least one serving valve Operating area greatly reduced, so that the housing of the device accordingly can be dimensioned smaller. The well-known touch-sensitive screen, the has become widely known under the name "touch screen", is also not subject to any mechanical wear comparable to mechanical buttons, which results in a very low failure rate of the device according to the invention results. One on the screen The input field displayed is activated by touching the screen with your finger and the selected command is executed under computer control.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the screen with a central control device connected to the on-screen a variety of different input fields can be represented, the input fields being predeterminable beverage parameters, e.g. Beverage type, serving volume, mixing ratio, number of beverages or similar or functions relating to the dispensing of beverages are assigned.

With the help of the various input fields, which are like menu items on a computer screen can be selected by touching the finger, the drink with each Desired properties are determined, whereupon the beverage liquid from the assigned dispensing valve emerges in the predetermined amount. On the touch sensitive Screen can be selected using a system, e.g. by different Windows can be opened and closed, the selection of a very high number of Beverage types, beverage concentrations and serving quantities are determined, the Required area compared to the single-button control known from the prior art required area is relatively very small.

A particularly significant downsizing of the housing can be according to another Achieve variant of the invention in that the at least one serving valve by a central multiple dispensing valve for dispensing two or more types of drinks, especially beverage syrup and diluent e.g. Soda water containing Beverages is formed.

The known multi-serving valve of this type enables the dispensing of Different types of drinks, especially syrup-based, as there are multiple inflow lines contains that are connected to various syrup reservoirs. Depending on the choice of Beverages will be one type of syrup or, in the case of mixtures, two types of syrup from the Conveyed storage containers and in the serving valve with a dilution liquid, e.g. Soda water, mixed. Because only one central dispensing valve for dispensing a large number is necessary for beverage types, the housing of the device according to the invention in Combination with the touch-sensitive screen can be made very small.

In a further embodiment of the invention, in addition to the touch-sensitive Screen an additional keypad can be arranged, via which the control other functions, especially that of the screen, can be performed. In order to the ease of use of the device according to the invention can be further increased.

Furthermore, according to a further development according to the invention it can be provided that by means of the central control device can be displayed on the monitor display fields screen with which quantities measured via sensors, e.g. the beverage temperature, the Delivery pressure or similar can be displayed on the screen, where appropriate also the compliance and the exceeding of a permitted pressure and temperature range can be indicated.

In this way, there is no need for separate display devices for those measured with sensors Sizes, the monitoring of the latter is mandatory in some countries and theirs Therefore, notification is mandatory. The screen display has the advantage that such Display with a variety of optical forms of representation is arbitrary and therefore ever is variable according to requirements and measured size.

The remote ordering of beverages has already been used for some beverage dispensing devices Time known. It can therefore be provided in a further embodiment of the invention that the Central control device is connected to a remote booking unit, which with a peripheral unit, e.g. a cash register, in connection, through which drinks can be assigned are. In this way, the advantages of the device according to the invention with the Possibility of remote ordering will be expanded.

Furthermore, the invention also relates to a beverage dispensing device with at least one Dispensing valve for portioning drinks and one on a control surface of the Device housing arranged input unit for controlling the at least one serving valve, in particular a device according to the invention.

To repeat when ordering several drinks of the same type Avoiding beverage delivery requests is provided in such a device, that on the input unit the multiple output of a type and / or Composition and / or the serving volume of identical beverage over the touch sensitive Screen is adjustable.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for multiple dispensing of a drink with which a loss of beverage liquid should be avoided during beverage dispensing.

According to the invention this is achieved in that before each beverage dispensing cycle at least one sensor the presence of an empty container for receiving the beverage, e.g. an empty drinking glass found in the area below the dispensing valve and the filling process is only carried out afterwards.

This ensures that when drinks are dispensed more than once, only empty ones Drinking glasses can be filled while having a full drinking glass for as long with the next filling cycle, wait until an empty drinking glass is under the dispensing valve reached. Likewise, the filling process is not carried out if the drinking glass is missing.

Fig. 1 eine Schrägrißdarstellung einer Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Getränkeausgabevorrichtung und

Fig.2 ein Detail der erfindungsgemäßen Getränkeausgabevorrichtung nach Fig. 1.

The invention is explained in detail below on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It shows

Fig. 1 is an oblique view of an embodiment of the beverage dispenser according to the invention and

2 shows a detail of the beverage dispensing device according to the invention according to FIG. 1.

Fig. 1 shows a beverage dispenser with a dispensing valve 2 for portioning beverages and an input unit arranged on an operating surface 9 of the device housing 3 1 to control the dispensing valve 2. The drinking glass to be filled or everyone other similar beverage container takes place on a footprint 11 just below the Outlet opening of the dispensing valve 2 place, usually in the area of the footprint an overflow sieve 10 is also provided, through which the effervescent beverage is discharged.

According to the invention, the input unit is provided by at least one touch-sensitive screen 1 is formed, on which a plurality of input fields 4, 5 can be represented, with which when touched by hand or finger, the displayed functions can be carried out are. These functions can be programmed as desired via a control device, not shown, which is connected to the screen 1. In particular, the input fields can be predetermined Beverage parameters, e.g. Beverage type, serving volume, mixing ratio, Number of drinks or similar assigned. The input fields 4 shown in Figure 2 enable dispensing beverages such as Cola, apple juice, orange juice etc. in a serving quantity of 0.21 each, which is the usual amount for a drinking glass. The input fields 5 are assigned to other functions, but these can also be used for drinks other articles are rated.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1, the serving valve is through a central multiple dispensing valve 2 for dispensing two or more types of drinks, especially beverage syrup and diluent e.g. Soda water containing Drinks formed. This multiple serving valve 2 contains one inside Mixing head in which the dilution liquid with that from various syrup storage containers conveyed syrup mixed according to the input via the input fields and is issued. Instead of the multiple valve, however, several single discharge valves can also be used can be controlled via the touch-sensitive screen. Furthermore, also a combination of a multiple dispensing valve with additional single serving valves, e.g. be provided for wine, spirits, beer or the like. The beverage portioning itself can by sensors as they are already state of the art, e.g. using balance sensors Time control or by turbines, etc. are made.

1 and 2 there is a on the operating surface next to the touch-sensitive screen 1 additional keypad 12 arranged with which the programming of the screen 1 or the central control device is advantageously possible. The touch sensitive The functionality of screen 1 can be expanded as required. It can be part of a beverage billing and delivery monitoring system, but also for entering other orders, e.g. Meals can be used in the respective catering business. It can furthermore, the entire settlement for each table of the restaurant is displayed.

The central control device can thus be connected to a remote booking unit which with a peripheral unit, e.g. a cash register that communicates through the Drinks can be remotely credited by the responsible waiter.

By means of the central control device, not shown, on the screen 1 Monitoring display fields can be displayed with which quantities measured via sensors, such as e.g. the beverage temperature, the beverage delivery pressure or the like displayable on screen 1 are, where appropriate also adhering to and exceeding a permitted pressure and Temperature range, e.g. can be indicated by RED-GREEN signals.

Furthermore, a special function is realized in the device according to the invention, the can also be used in other types of devices of this type. According to the invention provided that the multiple issue of a type and / or composition and / or the serving volume of identical drink via the touch-sensitive Screen is adjustable. If the waiter, for example, five of the same type Drinks, e.g. "Apple juice sprayed", taken as an order, so he must have these five Do not enter similar drinks one after the other, but can do so with a corresponding one Get the job multiplication panel with a single entry. Created now one after the other the desired number of drinking glasses to be filled under the dispensing valve, which automatically fills them one after the other. To avoid that at involuntary interruptions in the filling process, if for example not enough clean drinking glasses are available, the portion of drink dispensed to the inappropriate one Time comes out of the dispensing valve and therefore not into the empty one intended for it When drinking glass arrives, a computer-controlled process for multiple dispensing of a Beverage applied, in which before each beverage dispensing cycle by means of at least one sensor the presence of an empty receptacle, e.g. one empty Drinking glasses, is determined in the area below the dispensing valve 2 and only afterwards each time the filling process is carried out. The sensor suitable for such purposes can again in a known manner, e.g. in the form of a balance sensor, it must be in any case the presence of an empty or a filled drinking glass or the absence of a drinking glass can clearly differentiate. The intermittent filling takes place as long until all selected, identical drinks have been dispensed. Missing e.g. to the fourth drink is an empty drinking glass in the area below the dispensing valve 2, the device waits until such is detected by the sensor and sets the filling then only continues. The waiting state can again with an optical display be connected to the screen 1, which the operating personnel to provide an empty Requests drinking glasses and e.g. announces the number of drinking glasses still to be filled.

Claims (8)

Beverage dispensing device with at least one dispensing valve for portioning beverages and an input unit arranged on an operating surface of the device housing for controlling the at least one dispensing valve, characterized in that the input unit is formed by at least one touch-sensitive screen (1). Beverage dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the screen (1) is connected to a central control device with which a plurality of different input fields (4, 5) can be represented on the screen (1), the input fields (4, 5) Predeterminable beverage parameters, e.g. beverage type, serving volume, mixing ratio, number of beverages or the like or functions related to the dispensing of beverages. Beverage dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one dispensing valve is formed by a central multiple dispensing valve (2) for dispensing two or more types of beverage, in particular beverages containing beverage syrup and dilution liquid, for example soda water. Beverage dispenser according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that an additional keypad (12) is arranged on the operating surface (9) in addition to the touch-sensitive screen (1). Beverage dispensing device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that by means of the central control device on the screen (1) it is possible to display monitoring display fields with which variables measured via sensors, such as the beverage temperature, the delivery pressure or the like. can be displayed on the screen (1), wherein, if necessary, compliance with and exceeding a permitted pressure and temperature range can also be displayed. Beverage dispensing device according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the central control device is connected to a remote ordering unit which is connected to a peripheral unit, for example a cash register, via which drinks can be ordered. Beverage dispensing device with at least one dispensing valve for beverage portioning and an input unit arranged on an operating surface of the device housing for controlling the at least one dispensing valve, in particular according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that on the input unit (1) the multiple dispensing of a with regard to Art and / or the composition and / or the serving volume of identical drinks can be set via the touch-sensitive screen. Method for multiple dispensing of a beverage using a device according to claim 7, characterized in that before each beverage dispensing cycle, the presence of an empty vessel for receiving the beverage, for example an empty drinking glass, is determined in the area below the serving valve (2) by means of at least one sensor and only then is the filling process carried out.

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