Abstract: A double acting positive displacement pump has first and second opposed cylinders, an elongate piston rod connected to cylinder pistons, a plurality of tie rods fastening the cylinders together, spacers on the tie rods and between the cylinders, a control cradle mounted on the tie rods and fixed in position by slots in the spacers, a propellant gas control valve on the cradle, and a valve actuator on the cradle and operatively connected to the piston rod.

Abstract: A beverage dispenser having a beverage ingredient cooling tank for containing a liquid heat exchange medium such as ice water has an improved level control and drain for the tank having a first medium conduit with an inverted U-shape with an upper apex of the U-shape conduit being substantially at the desired level of medium in the tank, an open anti-syphon port to ambient from the conduit at a level above the apex, an outlet above and emptying into a drip tray under a dispensing nozzle, and a second medium conduit comprising a flexible tube fluidly connected to the bottom of the tank and to an inlet of the first conduit; excess liquid in the tank escapes out of the first conduit into the drip tray, and the second conduit is disconnectible from the first conduit for draining the tank into the drip tray.

Abstract: A pneumatically powerable single action fluid pump has a housing, an improved diaphragm assembly dividing the housing into fluidly discrete propellant and pumping chambers, a fluid inlet and outlet in the pumping chamber, a fluid port to the propellant chamber and a spring motor biasing the diaphragm assembly in a direction away from the pumping chamber side of the housing; the diaphragm assembly includes a perforate rigid diaphragm plate, an elongate motor stem connected to the plate, a contiguous elastomeric diaphragm having an imperforate front layer covering a front side of the plate and stem, a rear layer on a rear side of the plate, pins in the plate perforations and between and adjoining the diaphragm layers, and a bellows section to the outside of the plate. The spring motor biases the diaphragm to a position in close proximity to the fluid port of the propellant chamber in the absence of propellant therein against a plurality of spacer ribs.

Abstract: A post-mix carbonated beverage dispenser has an exterior cabinet, a base dividing the interior of the cabinet into first and second discrete compartments with all of the refrigeration system being in the first compartment, a drawer trackway and pull-out slide drawer in the second compartment, a fluid pressure powerable water pump and fluid pressure powerable syrup pumps fixedly mounted onto the slide drawer, flexible tubing connecting the pumps to a source of propellant gas, and further flexible tubing fluidly connecting the pumps to the refrigeration system and to a dispensing nozzle; the slide drawer with its pumps and tubing are normally visually concealed within the cabinet and are withdrawable out of the cabinet without disconnection of the tubing and while operative, to an alternative position providing substantially unobstructed access to all of the pumps and accessories upon the slide drawer.

Abstract: A spool type fluid control valve having a body, an elongate bore within the body, ports transverse to and into the bore, and a spool with seals reciprocable in the bore has the improvement of a concave seal pocket in an end of the body, a concave seal pocket in a valve cap at the other end of the body, each pocket is of substantially the same diameter as the bore and has a depth sufficient for receiving a shaft seal, a fluid port is formed between the elongate bore and each seal pocket and a toroidal plenum chamber is in communication with and between each fluid port and a fluid conduit through the body.

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 appartus 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 dispensin

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for making and dispensing carbonated water; the method has the steps of using carbon dioxide propellant gas at a predetermined propellant pressure for propelling flat water through cooling coils and into a carbonator, pressurizing the carbonator at a predetermined storage pressure which is less than the propellant pressure, exhausting used propellant gas into cooled propellant water, commonly admitting water and exhausted gas into the carbonator while restricting and backing up the flowing propelled water and gas and mixing them together under a pressure above the storage pressure, and storing and dispensing under the storage pressure; flat water may also be selectively diverted and dispensed after cooling and before contact with exhausted propellant gas, and the propellant pressure may be boosted with municipal water pressure; the apparatus has a pneumatically powerable water pump, a carbonator, a propelled water conduit connecting a pump outlet to a carbonator inlet, a fill valve i

Abstract: An electrical touch switch having a printed circuit baseboard with two circuit patterns electrically isolated and spaced a predetermined distance from one another has a contactor having a resiliently flexible substrate with a plurality of small contactor dots positioned randomly with respect to the circuit patterns, each contactor dot is sufficiently large to span across the spacing between the circuit patterns and depression of any one of these dots against the circuit patterns will provide continuity between the circuit patterns; the contactor substrate also has embedded structural fibers which span across the contactor dots.

Abstract: A multiple flavor post-mix beverage dispensing head has a nozzle, a diluent outlet in the nozzle, a plurality of discrete concentrate outlets in the nozzle, a spout under the nozzle, an outlet from the spout for discharge of beverage from the head, and the improvements of a downward facing open concavity in the center of the nozzle and bounded by a downward facing sharp edge forming the lowest part of the nozzle, a convex bottom nozzle surface extending upwardly from the concavity sharp edge, a sharp edged and squared counterbore between the convex bottom nozzle surface and a restrictor bore in each of the concentrate outlets, sharp edges on all surface intersections on the nozzle bottom surface and rounded intersections between all surfaces in the interior of the spout, an included angle between the bottom surface of the nozzle and inner surface of the spout which is divergent toward the centerline of the spout and which turns into the spout outlet, and a toroidal diluent flooding chamber between the nozzle

Abstract: A method of dispensing includes the steps of carbonating a beverage, storing a supply of the carbonated beverage, conducting the carbonated beverage from the supply and into a circulation loop, circulating the carbonated beverage in a predetermined direction around the loop at a predetermined rate of volumetric flow, selectively dispensing carbonated beverage from the loop at a volumetric rate of flow greater than the circulation flow rate, reversing the direction of flow of carbonated beverage in the return part of the loop during the dispensing, and conducting carbonated beverage from the supply to the dispensing outlet in both the predetermined and reverse direction while cooling both the predetermined direction and reverse direction of flows; apparatus for dispensing includes a carbonator, a storage receptacle for carbonated beverage, a carbonated beverage circulation loop conduit having a pump, a delivery line, a return line, and one or more dispensing valves; a beverage supply conduit connects the stora

Abstract: A latch has a central C-shaped clamping member with a latching slot therein, to each side of the clamping member is a handle, and a flange having an aperture for rotatable journaling of the latch; the latch is symmetrical about the centerline of the clamping member and is formed of a contiguous piece of sheet metal with the clamping member being two layers of metal folded against each other; a latch mechanism utilizing this latch has two discrete structure members, a pair of apertures in each structure member, a pin rotatably fastening the latch to one aperture, a pilot on the pin with the pilot being registrable with a corresponding aperture on the other structure, the pilot and pin are interchangeable in either aperature enabling journaling of the latch from either end, the swinging end of the latch can be locked by placement of a lock pin in the otherwise unused latch journal and structure member apertures, and there is a guide ramp on either side of the clamping member for guiding the structure members to

Abstract: Disclosed is fluid mixing apparatus employing a metering chamber divided by a flexible diaphragm. Two fluids are simultaneously injected into a mixing nozzle. The ratio of fluids is controlled by a feedback line which translates pressure from the first fluid outlet to the second fluid and thereby maintains a relatively constant ratio between the head pressures on the two fluids.