Selection panel for a beverage dispensing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10170025-B2
Application number	US-201414898945-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2014
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to A selection panel (1) for a beverage dispensing device comprising a front window (2) having at least one display zone (3a) designed for displaying a product information label, at least one light source for illuminating the product information label arranged in the display zone (3a) of the front window (2), a reflector means (6) designed for reflecting the light emitted by the light source towards the display zone (3a) of the front window (2), wherein the light source is arranged outside of the contours of the respective display zone (3a).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beverage dispensing machine comprising a selection panel comprising a front window, the front window comprising:
at least one display zone designed for displaying a product information label;
at least one light source for illuminating the product information label arranged in the at least one display zone of the front window, the at least one light source being arranged outside of contours of the at least one display zone; and
a reflector associated with the at least one light source designed for reflecting light emitted by the at least one light source towards the at least one display zone of the front window, wherein:
the reflector is located in a recession extending in a rear of the at least one display zone, outlines of the recession comprising a side of introduction of the light emitted by the at least one light source,
a rear wall and lateral walls, the lateral walls raising from the rear wall up to a rear surface of the front window, and the lateral walls comprising at least two side lateral walls parallel to a main emission direction of the light emitted by the at least one light source, and the lateral walls further comprising an end lateral wall on an opposite side of introduction of the light emitted by the at least one light source, and the rear wall and the end lateral wall joining together according to a curved profile design,
wherein the reflector is connectable to the front window to support the product information label between the rear surface of the front window and a conformable shaped upper surface of the reflector,
the beverage dispensing machine comprises a front door in which the front window of the selection panel is supported, and
the reflector is moveably attached to an inside face of the front door by a dedicated connection.

2. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the front door of the beverage dispensing machine comprises at least one selection button arranged in vicinity to the at least one display zone of the front window.

3. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the main emission direction of the light emitted by the at least one light source is arranged substantially parallel to a plane in which the front window is arranged.

4. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is arranged with respect to the front window such as to homogeneously distribute the light emitted by the at least one light source towards the at least one display zone.

5. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein in the recession, the side of introduction of the light emitted by the at least one light source is at least partially opened.

6. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein:
the end lateral wall abuts on the rear surface of the front window according to an angle α of about 25° with a plane perpendicular to the front window, and
an end of the rear wall next to the at least one light source is designed such that it is oriented with an angle β of about 83° with the plane perpendicular to the front window.

7. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the rear wall and the end lateral wall present a surface configured for diffusing reflected light.

8. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the selection panel comprises a plurality of light sources, a plurality of associated display zones and a plurality of associated reflectors.

9. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of associated reflectors is assembled in a single piece of material.

10. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source is an LED lamp.

11. The beverage dispensing machine according to claim 1 , wherein the front window is void of any demarcation between respective display zones.

Assignees

• Nestec Sa

Inventors

• Reust Alexis
• Girault Olivier
• Bachtold Roman

Classifications

• G09F2013/222

  with LEDs · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title

• F21V7/0083

  Array of reflectors for a cluster of light sources, e.g. arrangement of multiple light sources in one plane (combination of two or more reflectors F21V7/0025) · CPC title

• F21V3/00

  Globes; Bowls; Cover glasses (with refracting properties F21V5/00; with reflecting properties F21V7/00; characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/506) · CPC title

• G09F3/201

  Enclosures enveloping completely the labels (G09F3/203 - G09F3/207 take precedence) · CPC title