Abstract: A method of and apparatus for making, cooling and dispensing carbonated water or beverage wherein the method has the steps of providing a single supply of condensed refrigerant, discretely routing a first portion of the refrigerant to a precooler and precooling the water only to an intermediate moderate temperature of about 40 degrees F. (5 degrees C.) with the first refrigerant portion, carbonating the water before or after precooling, transferring the precooled and carbonated water to a final cooler of the ice bank type and final cooling the carbonated water and syrup to as close to 32 degrees F. (0 degrees C.) as is possible, and discretely routing a second portion of refrigerant to the ice bank. The discrete flow of refrigerant to the precooler and the discrete flow of refrigerant to the ice bank final cooler are each discretely controlled and portioned and routed, with this method and apparatus having extremely high efficiency and making very cold carbonated water reliably and without freeze ups.

Abstract: A beverage dispenser has a housing, a dispenser head with an electrically conductive combination cup actuator lever and beverage level probe, a control circuit connected to the probe and to a start switch actuatable by the probe and to a solenoid for a beverage valve, and a drip tray and cup rest wherein the cup rest is tilted rearward toward the actuator lever to hold a cup against the lever and keep the back of the cup rim against the lever. An improved actuator lever has a dielectric journal, an electrically conductive thin wall metal tube cantilevered probe extending down from a single fastener securing a control lead and the probe to the journal piece and the conductive probe is spaced from and is below the level of the valve body and lever fulcrum. A conductive plastic flow control is mounted in the valve body and a second control lead is connected to the electrically conductive flow control for providing a potential signal in the beverage.

Abstract: An improved beverage dispenser for filling any one receptacle taken from a predetermined group of different sized cups or a significantly large pitcher, the dispenser has manual start and automatic shut off of dispensing utilizing an electrically conductive combination activator and beverage probe lever, has an improved receptacle rest for dependable support of all of the cups or the pitcher, and the rest has a rearwardly inclined tilted upper receptacle support surface to tilt the receptacle toward the lever. The improved receptacle rest has a nose extending up and out beyond a dispenser drip tray for support of the pitcher, and a backstop to prevent the pitcher from damaging or disabling the automatic shut off and the dispenser. A method of dispensing, a retrofit kit, and method of retrofitting a cup dispenser into a dipenser for cups and/or pitchers with automatic dispensing shut off are also provided.

Abstract: A beverage dispensing valve for pre-mix carbonated beverage has a pressure balancing structure for enabling easy opening of the valve and an improved drive mechanism providing a relatively higher force for opening the valve; the balancing structure has a balance piston on a nose of a normally closed poppet valve, the piston is on a floppy mount and is sealed to a balance cylinder in the pressurized beverage line forming a balance chamber upstream of the piston, the chamber is vented to atmosphere to relieve beverage pressure on most of the area of the poppet valve to reduce the opening force required; the drive mechanism includes an electric solenoid having an elastic tension spring in the solenoid plunger, the spring elastically connects the plunger to the poppet valve to generate an improved and greater force. A dispensing system has several of these valves with a single low power transformer for all of the valves.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for making and dispensing carbonated water with a double diaphragm continuous delivery pneumatic liquid pump has a water pressure regulator on a water inlet line to the pump, a water fill line to a carbonator, a propellent exhaust line from the pump to the carbonator, a carbon dioxide line to the carbonator, and a gas pressure regulator for controlling the storage pressure in the carbonator and the exhaust back pressure in the pump propellent outlet, the exhaust back pressure is kept higher than the water pressure at the pump preventing diaphragm inversion; the method has the steps of dropping water pressure into the pump to below carbonation pressure, and maintaining the carbonation pressure on the pump diaphragm preventing inversion.

Abstract: A cold beverage dispensing apparatus is powerable by compressed gas and has a thermally insulated cabinet having a cooling chamber containing a source of compressed gas and a water reservoir and a normally non-pressurized syrup pump fluidly connectible to a non-pressurized syrup tank in the chamber, a dispensing nozzle and a manual actuator are on the outside of the cabinet, a pneumatic power valve is operable to connect the gas source to the pump and expel syrup to the nozzle, a pneumatic water valve servo is connected to all of the power valves and the opening of any power valve will effect operation of the servo and opening of the water valve, the pump is inside of the syrup tank and used propellant gas is vented inside the cabinet, a gas bottle and the syrup tanks are racked on the inside of a cabinet door and the power valves are pneumatically connected in series between the gas source and the water reservoir.

Abstract: A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing apparatus with a dispensing head having a nozzle, a normally closed water valve, a first normally closed primary syrup valve, a water line, and a primary syrup line, has a second normally closed primary syrup valve in a primary syrup line in series with the first valve, an alternative syrup line having a normally closed alternative syrup valve, a primary actuator switch for concurrently opening the water valve and both primary syrup valves while the alternative syrup valve is closed or dispensing only a primary beverage, and a second actuator switch for concurrently opening the water valve and alternate syrup valve while the second primary syrup valve remains closed for dispensing only an alternative beverage; an alternative construction has the same beverage componentry with a single actuator switch and a multiple pole double throw switch for selecting actuation circuitry for the primary beverage or the alternative beverage, an indicator light indicates which be

Abstract: A beverage dispensing station has a chassis mounted on a panel of a dispensing machine, a dispensing head on the chassis, dispensing actuators mounted on the panel, selector buttons mounted to the panel and pivotally suspended on a horizontal axis hinge with there being one button for each actuator, a bracket on the chassis which has a ledge for restraining the buttons and a flange for flow controls and a clamp for beverage lines, and a cover removably mounted to the chassis; the cover is removable for access to the flow controls and the bracket is forwardly deflectable for releasing the buttons and enabling removal of valve elements from the preferred actuator which is a pneumatic valve.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing a carbonated beverage including a source of propellant gas, a reservoir for beverage to be dispensed, one or more dispensing valves connected to the reservoir, a propellant gas conduit for applying a first gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage supply vessels and for applying a second and lesser gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage in the reservoir, a beverage supply conduit for transferring beverage from a supply vessel to the reservoir and normally closed valves in the beverage supply and gas conduits, which valves are controllable by a level sensor in the reservoir; the apparatus also features structure for automatically switching from one supply vessel to another as vessels become emptied; a method of dispensing includes the steps of providing a supply of carbonated beverage, applying a first propellant pressure upon the supply, selectively transferring beverage from the supply to a reservoir, applying a second and lesser propellant pressure upon the reservoir and dispensi

Abstract: An improved mixing nozzle for a post-mix beverage dispenser having a water supply chamber co-axially surrounding a syrup supply port, has an elongate syrup diffuser having a spray head on its lower end, an upper water distribution disc on the diffuser having a plurality of apertures having a cumulative opening area for passage of water, a convex frusto-conical water spreader is directly below the upper disc, a lower water distribution disc is spaced below the upper disc and the spreader, the lower disc has a plurality of apertures and a clearance between itself and a nozzle spout, the cumulative area of the lower disc apertures and spout clearance is several times the area of the upper disc apertures, an enlarged water plenum is between the spreader and the lower disc, and the syrup diffuser has outlets to spray syrup into a water stream below the lower disc.

Abstract: An improvement in facility management systems that allows an electronic control unit to be interfaced with a pneumatic cylinder unit. The digital pneumatic modulator of the improvement includes a solenoid valve controlled pneumatic input port, a solenoid valve controlled pneumatic exhaust port, and a flow controlled pneumatic exit port for connection with a pneumatic cylinder.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing a carbonated beverage including a source of propellant gas, a reservoir for beverage to be dispensed, one or more dispensing valves connected to the reservoir, a propellant gas conduit for applying a first gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage supply vessels and for applying a second and lesser gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage in the reservoir, a beverage supply conduit for transferring beverage from a supply vessel to the reservoir and normally closed valves in the beverage supply and gas conduits, which valves are controllable by a level sensor in the reservoir; the apparatus also features structure for automatically switching from one supply vessel to another as vessels become emptied; a method of dispensing includes the steps of providing a supply of carbonated beverage, applying a first propellant pressure upon the supply, selectively transferring beverage from the supply to a reservoir, applying a second and lesser propellant pressure upon the reservoir and dispensi

Abstract: Apparatus for dispensing a carbonated beverage including a source of propellant gas, a reservoir for beverage to be dispensed, one or more dispensing valves connected to the reservoir, a propellant gas conduit for applying a first gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage supply vessels and for applying a second and lesser gaseous propellant pressure upon beverage in the reservoir, a beverage supply conduit for transferring beverage from a supply vessel to the reservoir and normally closed valves in the beverage supply and gas conduits, which valves are controllable by a level sensor in the reservoir; the apparatus also features structure for automatically switching from one supply vessel to another as vessels become emptied; a method of dispensing includes the steps of providing a supply of carbonated beverage, applying a first propellant pressure upon the supply, selectively transferring beverage from the supply to a reservoir, applying a second and lesser propellant pressure upon the reservoir and dispensi