Abstract: A seat portion removably receives and stores a container for a beverage or other liquid, and a dispensing assembly is coupled to the container for dispensing the beverage. Preferably, the seat portion includes a shell that covers a cushion, and the cushion or a frame under the cushion has a cavity for receiving the container. The container and dispensing assembly can be inserted into the shell for conveniently and safely storing the beverage, the dispensing assembly can be accessed to dispense the beverage, and the container can be removed from the shell for cleaning and refilling.

Abstract: A thermoplastic material melting unit including various grid and reservoir configurations designed, for example, to optimize flow rate, melt rate and residence time within a melting unit. A main embodiment includes a supply hopper connected with a liquid reservoir having a plurality of heat exchanging elements, such as fins extending upward from its bottom wall. A melting grid is generally disposed between the supply hopper and the reservoir and includes both upwardly and downwardly extending heated fins. The downwardly extending fins intermesh with the upwardly extending fins of the reservoir. Additional embodiments of melting grids and heat exchange devices for melting solid thermoplastic material include bare element configurations, angled fin configurations and slotted fin configurations.