Beverage dispenser
| Title: | Beverage dispenser |
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| Patent Number: | 6,142,340 |
| Publication Date: | November 07, 2000 |
| Appl. No: | 09/384,401 |
| Application Filed: | August 27, 1999 |
| Abstract: | In a beverage dispenser, a beverage material-supplying tube extending from BIB is squeezed by a pump to draw the beverage material from BIB and then to extrude the beverage material to a nozzle. The beverage dispenser has a sensor provided adjacent to the beverage material-supplying tube and a processor into which the output of the sensor is input. The sensor calculates a moving average value using, as a data source, highest signal values among sampled signals obtained by multipoint sampling of analog signals output from the sensor, and, based on the magnitude of a change in the moving average value, a decision is made on whether or not the beverage material has been sold out. By virtue of the above construction, the sold-out of the beverage material in BIB can be accurately detected. |
| Inventors: | Watanabe, Hiroshi (Saitama-ken, JPX); Kosaka, Hiroshi (Saitama-ken, JPX) |
| Assignees: | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (Osaka-fu, JPX) |
| Claim: | What is claimed is |
| Claim: | 1. A beverage dispenser, comprising |
| Claim: | a pump for squeezing a beverage material-supplying tube to extrude a beverage material supplied from a BIB (Bag In Box) via said beverage material-supplying tube to a nozzle; |
| Claim: | a sensor provided outside said beverage material-supplying tube for generating an analog signal dependent on a condition of said beverage material inside said beverage material-supplying tube; |
| Claim: | means for sampling said analog signal at subsequent groups of sampling timings to generate said subsequent groups of sampled signals, and selecting group-highest values from said subsequent groups of sampled signals; |
| Claim: | a memory for subsequently storing said group-highest values; and |
| Claim: | a processor for calculating a moving average of said group-highest values, and determining a state of sold-out of said beverage material in said BIB in accordance with a change rate of said moving average. |
| Claim: | 2. The beverage dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein |
| Claim: | said processor comprises a comparator for comparing a difference between first and second moving averages with a predetermined level to determine said state of sold-out. |
| Claim: | 3. The beverage dispenser as defined in claim 2, wherein; |
| Claim: | said processor calculates said first and second moving averages in accordance with first and second groups of group-highest values, said second group of group-highest values being sequentially separated from said first group of group-highest values by one or more group-highest values. |
| Claim: | 4. The beverage dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein |
| Claim: | said sensor generates said analog signal by detecting a magnetic field or an electrostatic capacitance of said beverage material-supplying tube. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 222/66; 222/214; 2221/293 |
| Current International Class: | B67D 508 |
| Patent References Cited: | 4271987 June 1981 Eriksson et al. 4428232 January 1984 Tanaka et al. 4957220 September 1990 Du 5353963 October 1994 Gorski et al. 5401139 March 1995 Nabity et al. 5551599 September 1996 Niss 5797519 August 1998 Schroeder et al. 5803317 September 1998 Wheller 5842603 December 1998 Schroeder et al. 5875930 March 1999 Nakajima et al. 6003733 December 1999 Wheller 6016935 January 2000 Huegerich et al. |
| Primary Examiner: | Bomberg, Kenneth |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | McDermott, Will & Emery |
| Accession Number: | edspgr.06142340 |
| Database: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| Language: | English |
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