Exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine, doser, pump assembly and method of manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11311137-B2
Application number	US-201615197274-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 3, 2014
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

An exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine. The pack comprises a doser including a pump assembly comprising a pump channel between an inlet and an outlet, for receiving a fluid from an ingredient container and for pumping it to the outlet. The pump assembly comprises a pump chamber and at least two engaging gears forming a gear pump. At least one of said gears forms a driving gear and comprises a shaft opening for receiving a driving axle of the beverage dispensing machine. The shaft opening coincides with an axle reception opening of a support wall of the pump chamber, and a flexible seal is arranged at least between the driving gear and the support wall. The seal comprises a through opening coinciding with the shaft opening and the axle reception opening for receiving the driving axle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine, the exchangeable supply pack comprises:
a doser including a pump assembly,
the pump assembly comprising a pump channel between an inlet and an outlet for receiving a fluid from an ingredient container of said pack and for pumping the fluid to the outlet, the pump assembly further comprising a pump chamber and at least two mutually engaging gears forming a gear pump arranged in said pump chamber,
wherein at least one of said gears forms a driving gear, the driving gear comprising a shaft opening for receiving a driving axle of the beverage dispensing machine for operating the gear pump,
wherein the shaft opening coincides with an axle reception opening of a support wall of the pump chamber, and
wherein a flexible seal is arranged at least between the driving gear and the support wall, wherein the seal comprises a through opening coinciding with the shaft opening and the axle reception opening for receiving the driving axle.

2. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 1 , wherein the driving gear comprises a circumferential rim surrounding the shaft opening.

3. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 2 , wherein the rim is arranged concentrically around the shaft opening in rotation symmetry therewith.

4. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 2 , wherein a height of the rim divided by the height of the driving gear is between 0.015 and 0.044.

5. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 2 , wherein the rim is shaped having rounded edges in cross section across a radial direction relative to the shaft opening of the driving gear.

6. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible seal is made of a liquid silicone rubber.

7. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 6 , wherein the liquid silicone rubber has a shore A hardness between 35 and 65.

8. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 1 , wherein the support wall comprises one or more reinforcement ribs, the reinforcement ribs comprising at least a first circumferential support rib arranged underneath the rim of the driving gear and cooperating with the rim.

9. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 8 , wherein the reinforcement ribs form a reinforcement web, the reinforcement ribs further comprising one or more or all elements of a group comprising:
a second circumferential support rib arranged underneath a further gear of the at least two mutually engaging gears and circumferentially arranged around a notional rotation axis of the further gear; and
an outer reinforcement rib circumferentially arranged at a periphery of the reinforcement web underneath one or more side walls of the pumping channel;
one or more reinforcement ribs being formed and arranged such as to connect a first location, a second location and a third location with the reinforcement web, wherein the first location corresponds with an engagement location of the gears, the second location corresponds with a contact location between the driving gear and the pumping channel, and the third location corresponds with a contact location between the further gear and the pumping channel; and
one or more auxiliary reinforcement ribs connecting the other reinforcement ribs of the reinforcement web to the outer reinforcement rib.

10. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 1 , wherein one or more pressure relief grooves are arranged near an engagement location of the at least two mutually engaging gears for releasing fluid trapped between the at least two gears in use, the pressure relief grooves being arranged in a wall of the pumping channel or in the flexible seal.

11. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 1 , wherein the pump assembly comprises a pump housing and bottom housing, wherein the pump housing and bottom housing are correspondingly shaped such as to enable engagement of the pump housing and bottom housing for forming the pump channel.

12. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 11 , wherein the flexible seal is arranged contiguous to the bottom housing and is correspondingly shaped with the pump channel such as to seal the pump channel at the connection between the bottom housing and the pump housing.

13. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 11 , wherein the pump chamber comprises side walls formed by the pump housing, the side walls forming a periphery of the pumping chamber, and wherein the flexible seal extends underneath and beyond the side walls for at least a part of the periphery of the pumping chamber such that the seal is fixed in between the pump housing and the bottom housing.

14. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 11 , wherein the support wall of the pump channel is provided by the bottom housing as an integral part thereof.

15. The exchangeable supply pack according to claim 11 , wherein the support wall is formed by a separate support plate arranged contiguous to the seal.

16. A doser for use in an exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine, the exchangeable supply pack having an ingredient container and the beverage dispensing machine having a driving axle extending therefrom, the doser comprises:
a pump assembly, the pump assembly comprising:
a pump channel between an inlet and an outlet for receiving a fluid from the ingredient container of said exchangeable supply pack and for pumping the fluid to the outlet,
a pump chamber, and
at least two mutually engaging gears forming a gear pump arranged in said pump chamber,
wherein at least one of said gears forms a driving gear, the driving gear comprising a shaft opening for receiving the driving axle of the beverage dispensing machine for operating the gear pump,
wherein the shaft opening coincides with an axle reception opening of a support wall of the pump chamber, and
wherein a flexible seal is arranged at least between the driving gear and the support wall, wherein the seal comprises a through opening coinciding with the shaft opening and the axle reception opening for receiving the driving axle.

17. A pump assembly for use in a doser of an exchangeable supply pack for a beverage dispensing machine, the pump assembly comprising:
a pump channel between an inlet and an outlet for receiving a fluid from an ingredient container of said pack and for pumping the fluid to the outlet,
a pump chamber and at least two mutually engaging gears forming a gear pump arranged in said pump chamber,
wherein at least one of said gears forms a driving gear, the driving gear comprising a shaft opening for receiving a driving axle of the beverage dispensing machine for operating the gear pump,
wherein the shaft opening coincides with an axle reception opening of a support wall of the pump chamber, and
wherein a flexible seal is arranged at least between the driving gear and the support wall, wherein the seal comprises a through opening coinciding with the shaft opening and the axle reception opening for receiving the driving axle.

18. The pump assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the driving gear comprises a circumferential rim surrounding the shaft opening for locally compressing the seal against the support wall for preventing leakage of the fluid through the through opening of the seal.

19. A system for dispensing of beverages, the system comprising:
a beverage dispensing machine comprising a loading channel, and
an exchangeable supply pack, the exchangeable supply pack comprising a doser including a pump assembly c

Assignees

• Douwe Egberts Bv

Inventors

• Standaar Koen
• Giesen Leonardus Henricus Wilhelmus

Classifications

• A47J31/40 Primary

  Beverage-making apparatus with dispensing means for adding a measured quantity of ingredients, e.g. coffee, water, sugar, cocoa, milk, tea · CPC title

• A47J31/402 Primary

  Liquid dosing devices · CPC title

• A47J31/468

  Pumping means · CPC title

• A47J31/46

  Dispensing spouts, pumps, drain valves or like liquid transporting devices · CPC title

• A47J31/407

  with ingredient-containing cartridges; Cartridge-perforating means · CPC title