Single Juice Dispenser

A juice dispenser is one that dispenses or gives out, especially a machine or container that allows the contents to be removed and used in convenient or prescribed amounts.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a beverage dispenser which includes a housing for supporting the internal and external components of the beverage dispenser.
The housing is designed to hold one or more liquid containers filled with a liquid such as a fruit or vegetable juice concentrate.
The housing may also include a refrigeration unit to maintain the liquid within the container at a proper temperature. Connected to the face of the housing is preferably one or more dispensement nozzles from which a final liquid product is dispensed to the consumer.

Inside the housing is included a fluid metering mechanism which controls the amount of liquid dispensed from the liquid container to the dispensement nozzle.
The fluid metering mechanism preferably includes a container coupling mechanism which connects the liquid container to a pump mechanism for pumping the liquid from the liquid container to the dispensement nozzle.
The pump mechanism may include a pump motor and a pump.
The fluid metering mechanism may also include a valve block designed to mix the liquid in the liquid container with a diluent prior to dispensing the final liquid product.
The liquid in the liquid container is preferably a concentrate and must be diluted prior to consumption.
A brix controller may be incorporated to control the amount of dilution of the liquid concentrate.

The container coupling mechanism is designed to include several components such as a flush valve, a container adapter and a connector bottom.
The container adapter is designed to integrate with the liquid container and form a connection with the liquid container which minimizes leakage.
The connector bottom is designed to be coupled with the pumping mechanism and to minimize leakage of liquid as it passes to the pump mechanism.
The flush valve is designed to be a moveable component which is substantially sealed between the container adapter and the connector bottom.

A sealing mechanism which preferably incorporates seals such as O-rings is used to substantially seal the flush valve between the container adapter and the connector bottom.
The container coupling mechanism also includes a seating arrangement which is used to assist in sealing and orienting the container adapter, connector bottom and flush valve.
The dispenser may also incorporate an electrical circuit and/or control circuit to control the operation and/or flushing of the dispenser.

The dispenser includes a housing design to hold one or more liquid containers filled with a fruit or vegetable concentrate and a fluid metering mechanism for providing the liquid concentrate from the liquid containers to a consumer.

The fluid metering mechanism is a modular component which simplifies maintenance and repair of the dispenser and further reduces leakage.