Patents by Inventor John R. McMillin
John R. McMillin has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 5038976Abstract: A beverage dispensing head and a method of dispensing that provide increased carbonation in a dispensed fountain beverage; the dispensing head has a discrete carbonated water decompression chamber in-between an upstream volumetric flow control and a downstream normally closed valve; the method includes the steps of propelling carbonated water through a flow control and then decompressing the carbonated water before it reaches the normally closed valve.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1989Date of Patent: August 13, 1991Assignee: IMI Cornelius Inc.Inventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: 4940165Abstract: A beverage dispensing head and a method of dispensing that provides increased carbonation in a dispensed fountain beverage. The dispensing head has a discrete carbonated water decompression chamber in-between an upstream volumetric flow control body and a downstream normally closed valve. The method includes the steps of propelling carbonated water through a flow control body and then decompressing the carbonated water before it reaches the normally closed valve.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 1988Date of Patent: July 10, 1990Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: 4765513Abstract: A post-mix beverage dispensing system has a structure for flushing the dispensing valve and its nozzle of syrup using diluent water from the water supply; the dispensing valve has a nozzle, syrup and water valves and an actuator for the syrup and water valves, a mounting block for the dispensing valve has water and syrup ports with inlets and outlets and normally closed disconnect valves in the outlet enabling removal of the dispensing valve from the block, a flush connector goes across the bottom of the block and is fluidly connected into the water and syrup ports, a normally closed flush valve is in the connector and has an external pushbutton actuator for opening the valve for connecting the water port to the syrup port to flush the syrup port disconnect valve, flow control, syrup valve and nozzle with water, and there is structure to prevent flow of flush water into the syrup supply line.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 1987Date of Patent: August 23, 1988Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Herman S. Fessler
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Patent number: 4708827Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 1986Date of Patent: November 24, 1987Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: 4687120Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 1985Date of Patent: August 18, 1987Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: 4560089Abstract: 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 dispensiType: GrantFiled: September 7, 1982Date of Patent: December 24, 1985Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Peter Strandwitz
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Patent number: 4413752Abstract: 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 dispensiType: GrantFiled: October 20, 1980Date of Patent: November 8, 1983Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Peter Strandwitz
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Patent number: 4377246Abstract: 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 dispensiType: GrantFiled: May 11, 1981Date of Patent: March 22, 1983Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Peter Strandwitz
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Patent number: 4354806Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 1981Date of Patent: October 19, 1982Assignees: The Coca-Cola Company, The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Gene A. Tracy, William A. Harvill, William S. Credle, Jr.
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Patent number: 4305527Abstract: 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 dispensinType: GrantFiled: January 4, 1979Date of Patent: December 15, 1981Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Peter Strandwitz
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Patent number: 4304736Abstract: 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 iType: GrantFiled: October 31, 1980Date of Patent: December 8, 1981Assignees: The Coca-Cola Company, The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Gene A. Tracy, William A. Harvill, William S. Credle, Jr.
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Patent number: 4216879Abstract: 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 storaType: GrantFiled: August 16, 1978Date of Patent: August 12, 1980Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: 4143793Abstract: 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 this 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 dispensType: GrantFiled: June 13, 1977Date of Patent: March 13, 1979Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Peter Strandwitz
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Patent number: 3995441Abstract: A beverage dispensing system has a water line to be connected to a source of water, a refrigeration evaporator line extending through and along a length of the water line, and a thermostatic control that has a sensing element extending along refrigerated portions of the water line.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 1975Date of Patent: December 7, 1976Assignee: The Cornelius CompanyInventor: John R. McMillin
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Patent number: D264972Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 1980Date of Patent: June 15, 1982Assignees: The Coca-Cola Company, The Cornelius CompanyInventors: John R. McMillin, Gene A. Tracy