This invention relates to counter top, postmix beverage dispensers, and in particular to a low-cost, compact, versatile, multiflavor, convertible beverage dispenser.
A wide variety of different postmix dispensers are known, including those having multiflavor valves and those having the selector buttons and nozzle at a notched corner of the cabinet. It is also known to have a dispensing system in which some parts of the dispenser are located above the counter and some parts are located below the counter.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unitary beverage dispenser which can be placed entirely on top of a counter and oriented either frontways or sideways or which can be easily separated into a refrigeration module placed below the counter and a small dispense module placed on top of the counter.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a compact, multiflavor, low cost, versatile, convertible postmix beverage dispenser.
It is another object of this invention to provide a beverage dispense that can be easily modified to dispense different numbers of beverages.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved flow control module and method for easily changing the numbers of beverages to be dispensed.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a dispenser with two fronts, which can be placed frontways or sideways, and having a small detachable dispense module which can be placed by itself on top of a counter.
It is a another object of this invention to provide a versatile dispenser that can be delivered to an outlet and that will fit in almost any available space.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a single dispenser that is no versatile that it can be used to reduce the need for an inventory of dispensers of different sizes and shapes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a convertible dispenser having a vent arrangement that has one air-flow when the refrigeration and dispense modules are attached, and a different air flow when the modules are separated, for improved performance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a compact dispenser having a one-piece wrap-around shell, a removable lid, a vertically oriented condenser and a modular, easily removable condenser fan-motor unit that, when slid out, provides easy access to the agitator motor and the transformer.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved multiflavor nozzle.
It is another object of this invention to provide a dispenser with an improved water circuit, including one in which the soda or carbonated water is cooled again downstream from the carbonator, and also one in which the soda is continuously recirculated, but not through the carbonator, when the refrigeration module is remote.
It is a further object to provide a dispenser that is small and compact and yet provides a large, smooth, uninterrupted advertising area while also being less expensive to manufacture.
It is a further object to provide a dispenser with a pre-cooling syrup coil whereby the syrup pumps and carbonator can use the same pressure, thus eliminating one of two CO.sub.2 pressure regulators.