DE8909558U1 - Self-service element with drinks dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Self-service element »nut *»sir*nkespender

Self-service elements for food and drinks for immediate consumption are often set up in rooms with limited space, for example in petrol station sales areas. They are expected to offer as much variety as possible while taking up as little space as possible.

The beverage dispensers used in self-service elements have a storage container for the beverage to be dispensed. Since there are usually several beverages to choose from, it is necessary to provide several beverage storage containers. On the one hand, these take up undesirable space. On the other hand, they cause maintenance problems because they have to be emptied and cleaned regularly in order to comply with hygiene regulations.

In another context, beverage dispensers are also known that only contain a beverage concentrate and mix the beverage to be dispensed anew from concentrate and fresh tap water and have a water pipe connection for this purpose. The same applies to the fresh preparation of coffee and tea. Such devices are very complex and have so far only been justified if high

Quality requirements are being imposed that have not previously been considered appropriate for customers of self-service elements.

However, the invention has recognized that the use of these devices has very great advantages with regard to the space and maintenance problems mentioned above. The subject of the invention is therefore a self-service element whose drinks dispenser has a concentrate storage container and a water pipe connection. The term concentrate is to be understood as coffee beans, ground coffee, tea leaves and the like.

The element conveniently contains a line section which can be connected to the water supply network on the one hand and to which the water supply connection of the beverage dispenser can be connected on the other hand.

To accommodate a beverage dispenser, the self-service element preferably has a compartment that is equipped with water and electrical connection couplings for the beverage dispenser, which is replaceable.

This creates a self-service element that does not require a storage container for finished drinks and therefore does not require any special hygienic maintenance measures in this regard. The space otherwise required for the storage containers can also be saved and used for other offers.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing, which illustrates in one figure the front view of a self-service element according to the invention.

Two compartment columns 1 and 2, each of which is approximately the width of a man (for example, the usual grid size is 60 cm), are connected to one another to form a self-service element that has a total height of approximately 2.5 meters and is crowned at the top by a continuous sign 3, which can also conceal a storage compartment.

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The column 1 contains a refrigerator or freezer 4 at the bottom for food to be heated. This is followed by a compartment 5 for napkins, cutlery, tea and cocoa drink bags as well as sugar and/or other items that complement the food and drinks, as well as the microwave oven 6. Above this, another compartment 7 can be provided, which is not accessible to the public, for example as a storage compartment.

In the other column 2, a cooling system follows one another from bottom to top. IO _&idigr;_ tjSj'.ll I I- r\ 1_A XJ'.- I Ii . . I l_ «^ I _i_

^t *:**] &ngr;&igr;» &sgr;, C7tr &igr; r\uiiiai«iii urin 7 nreisi tür nun &khgr;,&khgr;&lgr; vvt xomi vriuo ^poison, oirt cold drinks dispenser 10 and a hot drinks dispenser 11 for coffee and/or fresh hot water for preparing tea and cocoa drinks, next to it a lower cup dispenser 13 with cups for cold drinks and an upper cup dispenser 14 with cups for hot drinks, and finally a storage compartment 12 which is not accessible to the public. The individual appliances which require a particularly long operating time are, on the one hand, the microwave oven 6 and, on the other hand, the drinks dispensers 10 and 11. Since they are arranged in different columns and the compartments 4 and 5 assigned to the oven 6 are also provided in the same column as this, the customers dealing with these appliances do not disturb one another.

&Ogr;&iacgr;&ogr; Qa^rÄr^i/Aerkar-kHAr- in *if^d 11 are hand-held dispensers devices that are inserted into the respective compartments of the self-service cabinet, whereby these compartments contain corresponding connection couplings for electrical energy and tap water to which the devices can be connected. Only the dispensers themselves need to be hygienically maintained, for which it is generally not necessary to remove them from the element. There is no need to maintain beverage storage containers &pgr;.

In addition to a storage container for coffee beans, the hot drinks dispenser contains a grinder, a press and filter device for the ground coffee, a waste container for the coffee grounds and a container in which the amount of water needed for one cup is heated. In addition to freshly brewed coffee, freshly prepared hot water can be taken from the device to make tea or a cocoa drink using portion bags.

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The cold drink dispenser contains three cooled containers with different concentrates, a cartridge with _CO2 and a container that contains a supply of water, which is cooled there and mixed with CO2. A portion of the cold, CO2-containing water required for a cup is first poured into the supply area of an inclined outlet channel. Then an appropriate amount of drink concentrate is dispensed from one of the containers, the outlets of which are located above the middle area of the channel, and the outlet channel is rinsed with the rest of the required water. At the end of the outlet channel, the liquid portions flow into a cup provided.

All drinks are therefore freshly made. Since the equipment required for heating or cooling the water is preferably installed in the devices themselves and not built into the water pipe section in question, their maintenance is also particularly easy.

Likewise, the refrigerators and microwave ovens can be commercially available, interchangeable devices that can be easily inserted into the cupboard compartments equipped with the appropriate connection couplings.

Claims (5)

Protection claims 1. Self-service element with drinks dispenser and storage container, characterized in that the drinks dispenser (10, 11) has a concentrate storage container and a water pipe connection 2. Self-service element according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains a line section which can be connected to the water pipe network and the water pipe connection of the beverage dispenser (10, 11). 3. Self-service element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the beverage dispenser (10) is a cold beverage freshening device. 4. Self-service element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the beverage dispenser is a coffee or tea freshener. 5. Self-service element according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it contains at least one compartment with water and electrical connection couplings for a drinks dispenser (10, 11) and this is replaceable.