Abstract: A multi-head drinks-dispensing apparatus having a group of drinks-dispensing heads each arranged for supply with drink ingredients through fluid control valves. A keypad has a first group of keys for selecting the type of drink and the dispensing head to be used, and a second group of keys for selecting the quantity of drink to be dispensed. Signals from those groups of keys are processed in a micro-processor, which energizes the relevant pair of valves to commence delivery of the selected drink without any delay. Dispensing of the selected drink is initiated at the earliest moment, while other drinks are being selected, so that selected drinks can be dispensed from the dispensing heads in a serial, overlapping manner. This facilitates the dispensing of a customer's multi-drink order in the shortest possible time.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a cylinder housing a rotary scroll Tubular preforms are fed into the cylinder in an upright state and displaced along the cylinder by a fin of the scroll. A spring mounted on the fin engages each preform in turn and inverts it. The inverted preforms are then driven over a series of nozzles discharging ionised gas to purge the preforms of debris. The preforms are then discharged.