EP0249065B1 - Dispensing device for milk or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A dispensing device for milk, liquid milk products, milk based mixed drinks, fruit juices and the like, comprising a storage container which possesses an opening directed upwards and contains a stirrer and a pump, and a filling device for the measured dispensing of milk or the like into a vessel to be filled, wherein the filling device comprises a filling station in which to place the vessel to be filled which station is disposed outside the storage container, and with an electrical control device for the stirrer, pump and filling device, wherein the filling device and electrical control device can be separated from the reservoir, characterized in that the entire dispensing device is portable and can be installed in a customary open cooling device used for sales in a shop, in that electrical push in connections (60, 78) are provided between the control device (84), on the one hand, and the stirrer (54) and pump (55), on the other hand, and a mechanical push in connection (76) is also provided between the pump (55) and the filling device (70, 94), which connections are automatically releasable on separating the parts and automatically connectable on putting the separated parts together, and in that the filling device (70, 94) comprises a holding frame (62) which can be attached to the storage container (10) by means of a releasable retaining device (112, 113, 114).

Description

The invention relates to a dispensing device according to the preamble of claim 1. This is particularly suitable for tapping fresh milk, but can also be used for other milk products such as cream, buttermilk, whey, or for fruit juices, which also have cooling and stirring certain distances, of course, adapted to the respective drink. In the following, however, the invention is only described in connection with the preferred embodiment for fresh milk.

Such a dispensing device is already known from US Pat. No. 1 925 120, the filling device and control device being installed in a stationary cooling housing into which two movable, can-shaped storage containers can also be set and connected to the filling device and control device. After emptying, the storage containers can be separated again and removed from the cooling housing for cleaning and filling purposes. Manufacture and operation of the cooling housing represent a relatively large outlay, and the known device also constantly requires a large amount of space.

A similar device is known from DE-PS 32 14 662, but the fixed housing is not cooled, but is only insulated.

DE-PS 628 648 also discloses a milk can that can be set in a cooled bar table, through the cover of which the outlet pipe of a mechanically actuated diaphragm pump is led out. Obviously, with this known milk jug neither a metered tapping nor an automatic control of the tapping process is possible.

The invention is intended to provide an easy-to-produce and operate dispensing device which allows the use of an open sales cooling device which is usually already present in shops for cooling the milk or the like present in the dispensing device, the dispensing device not being used appropriately only very light and easy to clean, but should also be well protected against damage during transport to and from the dairy or filling station. Existing cooling devices can be, for example, refrigerated display cases and freezers or refrigerated shelves that are sufficiently high.

This object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

The sensitive parts of the dispensing device which are at risk during transport, namely the filling device which is essentially arranged at the opening of the storage container and on the outside thereof, and the control device which automatically controls the flow of a dispensing process and actuates the agitator at regular intervals, can be removed from the storage container in one movement, so that the storage container, which is expediently designed in the form of a large milk can, can be carried and handled comfortably and without great consideration for damage by an operator. It only contains a small breast pump and an agitator, which do not significantly increase its weight. It is delivered from the dairy in a cleaned, milk-filled and cooled state, its opening being expediently closed by a lid. After removing the lid, the filling device and the electrical control device are placed or connected, as a result of which the milk dispenser is ready for operation. Then or alternatively even before the filling device and control device are put on, the storage container, which preferably has a handle or the like for actuation, is inserted into a cooling device which is open at the top and is present in almost every retail store. The pump ensures that the milk is conveyed upward through the opening into the filling device, which is preferably arranged on the side of the storage container and is suitable for setting a standardized milk bottle. After the storage container has been completely emptied, the filling device and the electrical control device are removed again, the storage container is preferably closed by a lid and lifted out of the cooling device. It is then replaced by a newly filled storage container to which the filling device and electrical control device can be attached again. All of these processes can be carried out conveniently by a single operator with a filling volume of about 10 to 40 l, preferably about 25 l for milk, about 10 l for cream, liquid milk products and milk-mixed drinks. However, the invention is not limited to such a filling volume, but can also be applied to larger devices to be handled by two operators. However, an embodiment is preferred which can be handled by a single operator. If desired, several filled storage containers can of course also be kept in stock at a cooled point in order to be used in succession with the same filling device and electrical control device.

In a preferred embodiment according to claim 2, the holding frame covers the opening of the storage container and carries the side filling station. This holding frame is very easy to fix in a few steps by a releasable holding device, for example a strap with a tension lock according to claim 3, and can be as easy as which are removed.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the agitator and pump can be held on a plate which is detachably anchored in the storage container and can be removed together with the latter from the storage container. The cleaning of the storage container is normally carried out with the plate, the agitator and the pump, in place. For maintenance and repair purposes, however, the plate with the parts mentioned can be removed from the storage container at any time by a few hand movements, so that all parts of the device are easily accessible.

So that the holding frame is always placed in the correct orientation, suitable pins and guides can be provided according to claim 5. The forced placement in the correct orientation also ensures that the electrical and mechanical plug connections mentioned are precisely guided into one another. For this purpose, corresponding lead-through parts are suitably anchored in the cover plate.

Other parts can also be expediently molded onto the one-piece holding frame for hanging the filling device and for closing the opening, for example a drip tray according to claim 7.

The electrical control device can also be connected directly to the holding frame, or else it can be attached to a separate location, for example on the wall or part of the cooling device, and connected to the storage container via electrical lines and plug connections. In a preferred embodiment according to claim 8, the liquid-protected is fastened within a cover cap attached to the cover plate of the holding frame, so that the dispensing device is immediately ready for operation after the holding frame has been put on. In principle, the control device can even remain permanently connected to the electrical network in this case as well. For safety reasons, however, it is preferably removed from the network at least during cleaning of the filling station or other parts.

Claims 9 and 10 are directed to further embodiments of the invention.

• Fig. 1 einen zur Verkürzung in der Mitte abgebrochenen Vertikalschnitt durch einen Vorratsbehälter gemäß der Erfindung,
• Fig. 2 eine Aufsicht auf den in Fig. 1 gezeigten Vorratsbehälter,
• Fig. 3 einen der Figur 1 entsprechenden Schnitt durch den Vorratsbehälter mit aufgesetztem Deckel, eingesetztem Rührwerk und eingesetzter Pumpe,
• Fig. 4 einen Schnitt längs der Linie IV-IV in Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 eine Aufsicht auf den Vorratsbehälter gemäß Fig. 3 bei abgenommenem Deckel,
• Fig. 6 einen Vertikalschnitt durch den am Vorratsbehälter festzulegenden Halterahmen mit Abfülleinrichtung und elektrischer Steuereinrichtung,
• Fig. 7 einen Teilschnitt durch den Vorratsbehälter mit daran festgelegtem Halterahmen während der Befüllung einer Milchflasche und
• Fig. 8 eine Aufsicht auf die in Fig. 7 dargestellten Teile ohne Milchflasche.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the figures. It shows

• 1 is a vertical section broken off for shortening in the middle through a storage container according to the invention,
• 2 is a plan view of the storage container shown in FIG. 1,
• 3 shows a section corresponding to FIG. 1 through the storage container with the cover attached, the stirrer inserted and the pump inserted,
• 4 shows a section along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3,
• 5 is a plan view of the storage container according to FIG. 3 with the cover removed,
• 6 shows a vertical section through the holding frame to be fixed on the storage container with filling device and electrical control device,
• Fig. 7 is a partial section through the storage container with a holding frame attached to it during the filling of a milk bottle and
• Fig. 8 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7 without a milk bottle.

The storage container shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of a milk can 10, preferably made of metal or plastic, with a bottom 12, an edge 16 projecting downwards on all sides from the bottom and resting on a base 14 and an upwardly open one from a neck 18 Formed opening 20. The opening 20 is laterally offset against the vertical center of the storage container 10, so that the neck 18 on the left side in FIG. 1 merges straight into the side wall 22 of the storage container. The neck has a thread 24 on its outside for screwing on a cover 26 provided with a corresponding internal thread (see FIG. 3). On the inside of the neck 18, guides 28 are provided on opposite sides in the form of vertical webs projecting from the neck 18 inwards. Furthermore, four support bases 30 protrude inwards evenly distributed below the guides 28 over the circumference of the neck 18. The floor 12 is divided into a larger, higher section 32 and a small, slightly lower horizontal section 34. The higher section 32 slopes downwards on all sides towards the lower section 34, so that milk residues collect in section 34 and can be pumped out from this point until the end. The storage container 10 has a handle 38 on the upper side 36 drawn in toward the neck 18.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the storage container with the parts that are constantly remaining in it, as it is transported from the retail store to the dairy in an empty state and from the dairy to the retail store in a cleaned and filled state. During this transport, the lid 26 is screwed onto the opening 20 in order to protect the inside of the storage container from contamination or to prevent the milk from splashing out of the filled storage container 10. On the support base 30, a flat support plate 40 is placed from above, which rests on the horizontal top of the support base 30 and fills the neck 18 with little play. For the correct orientation of the support plate 40, recesses 42 are provided in the edge of the support plate 40 at opposite points, which slide on the guides 28 when the same is inserted. The support plate 40 contains a large number of openings 44 of different sizes in order to reduce the weight and to ventilate, and above all to pour out cleaning liquid from inside the storage container when cleaning the same. lt, two of these openings 44 are a vertical support rod 46 and a tube 48 containing electrical lines through upper and lower Spring clips 50 and 52 anchored. At the lower end near the deepest bottom section 34, an agitator 54 which can be driven via the electrical lines in the tube 48 is held. An additional riser pipe 56 connected to a pump 55 arranged near the bottom section 34 and a second pipe 58 containing electrical lines are anchored by two further openings 44 through upper and lower spring clips 50 and 52, respectively. At the upper end of the pipes 48 and 58 containing the electrical lines, not shown, parts of electrical plug connections 60 are attached. After being inserted into the storage container, the support plate 40 is fixed by a semicircular clamping spring 61 spread on the inside of the neck.

The part of the dispensing device remaining in the retail store when the empty or newly filled storage container 10 is transported is shown in FIG. 6. This part has a support frame, generally designated 62, which consists of an upper horizontal cover plate 64 and a vertical side plate 66 integral therewith. At the lower end of the side plate 66, an approximately vertically protruding drip tray 68 is integrally formed. The cover plate 64 is penetrated by a filling tube 70, which is semicircularly bent in the upper part and opens down at both ends, and two vertical pipe connections 74 containing electrical lines 72, which are firmly anchored in the cover plate 64. At the inner end of the filling pipe 70, a cap 76, which is part of a mechanical plug connection and is open at the bottom, is attached. Likewise, 74 parts of electrical plug connections, each in the form of a plug 78, are provided at the lower ends of the pipe sockets.

A cover cap 80 is attached to the top of the cover plate 64 and forms a liquid-protected interior 82 with the cover plate 64. In this interior space 82, an electrical control device 84 (not shown in more detail) for the operating sequence of the dispensing system, which is known per se to the person skilled in the art, as is explained below, is fastened to the cover cap 80. The control device 84 is connected via the electrical lines 72 to the plugs 78 and via a further electrical line 86 to a proximity initiator 88 which passes through the cover cap 80 at the side. On the underside of the cover plate 64, downwardly projecting pins 90 are fastened at two diametrically opposite points, which have vertical recesses 92 on their outside in the lower part. On the outside of the side plate 66 of the holding frame 62, the filling station, generally designated 94, is formed above the drip tray 68. The filling station 94, as can be seen from FIG. 8, has vertical bars 96 for a milk bottle 97 to be inserted into the filling station 94 (see FIG. 7), which stand parallel to one another vertically from the side plate 66, lateral holding bars 98 for the milk bottle 97 and an optical fill level sensor 102, known per se and not connected to the electrical control device 84 and located near the upper opening 100 of the milk bottle 97, which detects the completed filling of the milk bottle 97 by optical scanning along the line 104 and via the control device 84 switches off the pump 55. One of the standing rods (92 ') is pivotably articulated about a horizontal axis 106 near the side plate 66 and is rigidly connected to an upwardly angled contact lever 108. The contact lever is normally, i. H. without a milk bottle 97 set in the filling station, pressed by a spring (not shown) or the like with a contact located at its upper end against a contact of the proximity initiator 88 cooperating therewith. In this position, the stand rod 96 'rigidly connected to it stands with its outer end obliquely upward above the level of the other stand rods 96. As soon as a milk bottle 97 is placed in the filling station 94, the standing rod 96 'is pressed down parallel to the other standing rods 96 and the contact lever 108 is removed from the initiator 88. This sets the control device 84 in readiness for a filling process. If an operator then presses the pusher 109 located on the cover cap 80 and also not shown in the illustration connected to the control circuit 84, the pump 55 is started and a filling process is initiated.

The cover cap 80 is to both. Provided sides with handles 110 for handling the holding frame 62. If a freshly filled storage container 10 is delivered from the dairy or is removed from a cooled supply, its opening 20 is first exposed by unscrewing the lid 26. The holding frame 62 is then placed on the storage container 10 by gripping the handles 110 in such a way that the arrangement according to FIG. 7 results. In this arrangement, the cover plate 64 covers the opening 20 and the guides 28 provided on the neck 18 engage in the downwardly open recesses 92 of the pins 90 which are downward from the cover plate 64. At the same time, by fitting the cover plate 64, the plugs 78 located on the pipe socket 74 are automatically inserted into the socket-like electrical connecting parts 60 at the upper end of the pipes 48 and 58. In addition, a mechanical plug-in connection for the supply of milk by means of the pump 55 into a milk bottle 97 set in the filling station 94 is produced by the cap 76 at the inner end of the filling tube 70, which overlaps the open upper end of the riser tube 56. Simultaneously with the mounting of the cover plate 64, the side plate 66 of the holding frame 62 comes to rest on a flat section provided for this purpose on the outside of the storage container 10. For further fixing of the holding frame 62 on the storage container 10, there is an adjoining the side plate 66 on both sides and on the metal container 112 engaging the storage container 10 and a belt 113 attached to it, which is placed around the outside of the storage container in its lower part and is tightened by a known toggle clamp 114. As a result, the holding frame 62 is adequately fixed for the duration of the operation until the storage container 10 is emptied. As soon as a milk bottle 97 is placed in the filling station 94, the pump is activated via the proximity initiator 88 and the electrical control device 84 until it is switched off again by the filling sensor 102. Furthermore, the control device 84 ensures that, from time to time, depending on the filling with milk or another drink at different time intervals, the stirrer is started in order to cream the milk, skin formation or deposition of fruit components from juices, etc. to avoid. Since the entire dispensing device is inserted into a cooling device which is already present and is open at the top, adequate cooling is ensured without any special device provided for this purpose. After the storage container 10 has been completely emptied, the tension lock 114 is released and the holding frame 62 is removed by gripping the handles 110. As a result, the electrical plug connections 60, 78 and the mechanical plug connection 76 are released automatically. While the parts of the device shown in FIG. 6 remain in the retail store, after the cover 26 has been put on, the empty storage container 10 can be transported to the dairy again, cleaned and refilled.

Claims (10)

1. A dispensing device for milk, liquid milk products, milk based mixed drinks, fruit juices and the like, comprising a storage container which possesses an opening directed upwards and contains a stirrer and a pump, and a filling device for the measured dispensing of milk or the like into a vessel to be filled, wherein the filling device comprises a filling station in which to place the vessel to be filled which station is disposed outside the storage container, and with an electrical control device for the stirrer, pump and filling device, wherein the filling device and electrical control device can be separated from the reservoir, characterized in that the entire dispensing device is portable and can be installed in a customary open cooling device used for sales in a shop, in that electrical push in connections (60, 78) are provided between the control device (84), on the one hand, and the stirrer (54) and pump (55), on the other hand, and a mechanical push in connection (76) is also provided between the pump (55) and the filling device (70, 94), which connections are automatically releasable on separating the parts and automatically connectable on putting the separated parts together, and in that the filling device (70, 94) comprises a holding frame (62) which can be attached to the storage container (10) by means of a releasable retaining device (112, 113, 114).

2. A dispensing device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the holding frame (62) consists of a side plate (66) which forms an attachment on the side of the storage container (10) and which carries the filling station (94) and a substantially flat covering plate (64) which overlaps the opening (20) of the storage container (10).

3. A dispensing device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the holding device comprises a metal sleeve (112), connected to the side plate (66) on both sides and resting against the storage container (10), and a strap (113), which can be placed against the storage container (10), which strap is fastened to the sleeve, and also a clamping fastener (114) connected to it.

4. A dispensing device according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the stirrer (54) and pump (55) are supported on a plate (40) which is releasably anchored in the storage container (10) and can be taken out of the storage container (10) together with this plate.

5. A dispensing device according to one of Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that downward directed pegs (90) are arranged on the inner side of the covering plate (64) which, for the purpose of rotational fixing of the covering plate (64), cooperate with corresponding guiding parts (28) on the inside of the throat (18) surrounding the opening (20) of the storage container (10).

6. A dispensing device according to one of Claims 2 to 5, characterized in that a filling tube (70) and supporting tubes (74) carrying electrical connections (72) pass through the covering plate (64), and are anchored in the plate, and they carry on their inner ends parts (76, 78) of the push in connections.

7. A dispensing device according to one of Claims 2 to 6, characterized in that a drip trough (68) surrounding the filling station (94) from below is formed on the side plate (66).

8. A dispensing device according to one of Claims 2 to 7, characterized in that a slightly overlapping liquid-tight cap (80) is fastened on the outer side of the covering plate (64) whereby the electrical control device (84) is installed in the internal space (82) formed by the cap (80) and the covering plate (64).

9. A dispensing device according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the opening (20) of the storage container (10) can be closed by a cover (26) when the filling device (70, 94) and electrical control device (84) have been removed.

10. A dispensing device according to one of Claims 4 to 9, characterized in that the plate (40) carrying the stirrer (54) and the pump (55) rests on supporting pedestals (30) which project from the inside of the throat (18) surrounding the opening (20).

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