The present invention relates to an automatic dispensing machine for. selectively dispensing a plurality of products upon selection thereof by a user and, more particularly, the invention relates to an automatic consumer-operated dispensing machine for selectively preparing and processing food products, either dry products or flowable products, and for dispensing the products as final products ready for human consumption, wherein the machine comprises an automation circuit for providing a processing-dispensing cycle, a plurality of containers for dry products, a device for providing water or any other liquid for homogenizing with the dry product selected by the user, a mixer for mixing and heating or cooling the homogenized product to form a final product for human consumption, with the automation circuit also providing a washing cycle for washing the components of the machine in contact with the food product after dispensing the final product.

2. Description of the Prior Art.

The food dispensing machine and vending machines are very well known and worldwide employed in several institutions, office buildings, the street, stores, colleges, universities, etc. These machines provide an way to access to the contained products by inserting a coin, a token, a bill or any other transaction element such as a credit or debit card.

There are dispensing machines for preparing and serving infusions like tea, coffee, cocoa and milk, as well as machines for preparing and serving frozen products, juices or ice creams. The coffee vending machines, for example, comprise one or more containers with powdered coffee, with each container being capable of providing a metered quantity of coffee, upon selection by a consumer, into a mixer.

The mixer comprises a closed receptacle with any kind of agitating means therein. Once the coffee is discharged into the mixer hot water is poured into the mixer and the agitator means are actuated for preparing the infusion, preferably a foamy infusion. Then, the infusion is dispensed through an appropriate spout provided with valve means. Once the infusion has been served into a cup, however, the inner walls of the mixer, as well as the conduits and valve means remain with rests of the infusion that are retained and adhered in such machine. components.

Thi. s is obviously not convenient for keeping a pure taste and flavor for the next infusions and is inconvenient for healthy purposes.

Similar machines are employed for dispensing hot and cool infusions or beverages, wherein different and separate circuits may be necessary for handling the hot and cold water or other liquids. For trying to overcome this . drawback, some machines include one or more mixers provided with heating or cooling means in order to receive the water at room temperature and heat or cool the infusion or beverage just before serving the same into a cup for the consumer. That is, some mixers are used only for cold products and some others are used only for hot products, however, this does not overcome the problem of rests adherence within the machine components.

The above drawbacks and obstacles caused that the known machines are preferably employed for serving hot or cold beverages but not both in the same machine.

The same above problems of using the mixers for different products are present in the. machines for dispensing other products, such as ice creams. Basically, the machines for dispensing ice creams are provided with a plurality of containers for containing the several ice cream preparations, or flavors, in liquid conditions ; then the liquid ice cream preparation is fed into an agitator provided with freezing means, such as a coil, and the final ice cream is. served into a cup for the consumer The agitators or mixers of the ice cream machines remain with rests of an already served ice cream, with a flavor different from the flavor of a follow prepared ice cream. While the rests of several prior flavors alter the flavor of further flavors, no washing of the circuits and systems are provided in all the above machines for preserving the taste of the several flavor selected by the consumers.

While there are automatically operated machines for serving hot infusions, there are no automatic machines for serving cold beverages or preparing and dispensing juices, in an effective manner. The conventional machines for vending cold beverages generally comprise a stock of bottled or canned beverages that are dispensed upon selection by the consumer but not prepared into the machine. Even in the machines for preparing and dispensing ice creams, an operator is always necessary for serving the ice cream into a cup.

It would be therefore convenient to have a machine with the capacity of preparing and processing hot and cold infusions and beverages, as well as ice creams, in an automatic manner.

Also, it would be desirable to have an automatic machine for preparing and dispensing food products upon selection by a consumer, with the machine being provided with appropriate means for washing the inner circuits, conduits and components of the machine in contact with the dispensed product after each dispensing cycle of the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic consumer-operated dispensing machine, for processing and preparing hot and/or cold food products, either dry or flowable products, and dispensing the same in an automatic manner, with the machine including means for washing the inner conduits and components of the machine in contact with the dispensed product after each dispensing cycle of the machine.

It is also one object of the present invention to provide an automatic consumer-operated. dispensing machine, for processing food products and dispensing the same as final products ready for human consumption, the machine comprising an automation circuit that may be operated by the consumer by inserting a coin therein and selecting a desired food product in a consumer-operated selection module, wherein a selected product is retrieved from any of a plurality of containers containing dry products, the selected product is homogenized in a homogenizer that also receives water or any other liquid from a water dispensing device for homogenizing the product and the water into a homogenized product that is fed into a mixer that is provided with a dispensing valve for obtaining. a final mixed product and serving the same into a cup that is retained in a cup-support, wherein the machines includes a washing cycle wherein the homogenizer and mixer are fed with water from the water dispensing device and with pressurized air form a pressurized air source, for washing the machine after the final product has been dispensed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic consumer-operated. dispensing machine for processing food products and dispensing the same as final food products for human consumption, the machine comprising an automation circuit including a consumer operated module for selecting the desired food product to be dispensed ; a plurality of containers for containing dry products ; a homogenizer, movably mounted along a first mounting arm, for selectively receiving from the containers a food product selected by the consumer at the operating module ; at least one water dispensing device for providing a metered amount of water into the homogenizer containing the selected product to obtain an homogenized product formed by the water and. the selected product; at least one mixer having a proximal end with an inlet for receiving the homogenized product from the homogenizer, and a distal end including an outlet dispensing valve, the mixer including a rotating shaft with mixing paddles for conditioning the. homogenized product and forming a final product ready to be consumed ; and a cup-support, movably mounted along a second mounting arm, for carrying a cup, placing the cup in a position for receiving the final product from the dispensing valve of the mixer, and bringing the cup to a station accessible to be taken by the consumer.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be better understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the following drawings wherein: FIG. 1 shows a perspective, partially cross- sectional and partially exploded view of a dispensing machine according to the invention ; FIG. 2 shows a side elevation, partially cross- sectional view of a container of the machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a side elevation, partially cross- sectional view of a homogenizer of the machine of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 shows a diagram of an automation circuit according to the invention, employed in the machine of FIG.

1 ; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Now referring in detail to the drawings it may be seen from FIGS. 1-4 that the machine of the invention is an automatic consumer-operated dispensing machine, indicated by general reference 1, for processing and/or preparing food products and dispensing the same as final products for human consumption. The machine may prepare and serve all kinds of infusions, coffee, tea, cocoa and milk, ice creams, etc., either hot or cold products. The machine may also dispense some aggregates and additives such as grated or sliced nuts, almonds, sweeteners, sugar, etc. some of them to be placed on the top of an ice cream, for example.

Dispensing machine 1 comprises a plurality of containers 2 for containing food components ; not shown, preferably dry components but not limited there to, employed for preparing a final food product. These dry products may comprise coffee, tea, cocoa, sliced nuts, sugar, cinnamon, powder for preparing ice creams, etc.

Preferably, containers 2 are made of any appropriate material to keep the products hermetically isolated. Each container 2 of the plurality of containers includes motor means 3 connected to a product conveying screw 4 that is mounted at the bottom of the container. When the motor is activated the screw rotates in order to dispense a metered quantity of product through a dispensing opening or spout 5 located at a front part of the container.

Adjacently to containers 2, at least one water dispensing device 6 is provided, with device 6 comprising a connection to a water source, or any other liquid source, for providing the liquid necessary to be mixed with the dry products of containers 2. Device 6 preferably includes an electrically actuated valve 7 for metering the water delivered by the water dispensing device depending of the infusion or food product to be prepared.

Immediately close and below the containers and the water dispensing device a homogenizer 8 is movably mounted along a first mounting arm 9. Mounting arm 9 is a pneumatic arm and homogenizer 8 controllably moves along arm 9 for selectively receiving from the containers a. product selected by the consumer at the operating module.

Homogenizer 8 includes an upper funnel 10 for receiving the product from the corresponding container 2 and a dispensing spout 11 for dispensing the homogenized product into the inlet of a mixer, as will be explained. Homogenizer 8 is provided with mixing and homogenizing inner components 12, FIG.. 3, that may be any of several ones well known in the art. Funnel portion 10 is also designed to receive from the water dispensing device a metered amount of water for homogenizing the selected product already contained in the homogenizer and the water. Thus, an homogenized product is obtained from the homogenizer.

Also close and immediately below the path along which the homogenizer moves at least one mixer 13 is provided. Mixer 13 has a proximal end 14 with an inlet 15 for receiving the homogenized product from the homogenizer, and a distal end 16 including an outlet dispensing valve 17 for dispensing a mixed final product. Mixer 13 comprises a closed container including a rotating shaft 18. with a plurality of mixing paddles 19 for conditioning the homogenized product and form the final product ready to be consumed. Shaft 18 may be actuated by motor means 20 located at the proximal end of the mixer.

Once the product is finally conditioned for consumption the same is poured from valve 17 into a cup 21 that is retained in a cup-support 22 that is movably mounted along a second mounting arm 23. Arm 23 ; like arm 9, preferably comprises a pneumatic arm for. controllably moving support 22 along the arm in order to place the support just below valve 17 for receiving the product into cup 21 and for moving the support containing the cup to a station, not shown, that is accessible to the consumer for taking the cup.

As will be explained, motor means 3,20, homogenizer 8, shaft 18, arms 9,23 and valve 17 are actuated and controlled by an automation circuit diagramatically depicted in FIG. 4. Automation circuit is controlled by a Computer PC 24 or a programmable logic controller PLC 25. The dotted lines connecting the PC and the PLC indicates this option, however, preferred reference will be made in this description to the connections of the several components of the machine and the PLC.

The circuit includes a consumer operated module 26, preferably a touch screen connected to the PLC. , for selecting the desired product to be dispensed. For actuating the machine, any transaction element, such as a coin, a bill, a token or, a card, should be used and inserted into the payment receiving module 27 also connected to the PLC.

As stated above, the PLC controls first 9 and second 23 arms to move the homogenizer and cup-support along the arms, respectively, the conveying. screw at the bottom of the containers to meter a desired amount of product, the water electro-valve, the mixer and the cup- support. Thus, the PLC has a port connected to motor means 3 for moving the conveying screw of each container, a port connected to first arm 9, a port connected to electrically operated valve 7, a port connected to homogeneizer 8, a port connected to motor means 20 for moving the shaft of the mixer, a port connected to outer dispensing valve 17, a port connected to second arm 23, and a port connected to cup-support 22.

According to the above it is apparent that the present machine is an automatic computer or PLC operated machine. Thus, the machine may operate, under a product- processing or preparing cycle, for getting the selected product from the containers and the water and for homogenizing the mixed product and water in homogenizer 8.

Then, the homogenized product is conditioned into mixer 13 the proximal end of which is also provided with a pressurized-air injecting nozzle 28, also connected to a port of the PLC, for providing controlled pressurized air into the mixer. This air may be employed during the product-processing cycle, or product-preparing cycle, of the machine or, as will be seen below, during a washing cycle.

As indicated above, a washing cycle is provided in the machine and water dispensing device 6, with water electro-valve 7, is provided with the capacity of operating during this washing cycle. Thus, valve 7 is connected to the PLC also for controlling the provision of water into the homogenizer and into the mixer and valve 17 for washing the machine, after each processing and dispensing cycle, that is, after the final product is dispensed into cup 21 in the cup-support.

As it is apparent from the above description, the inventive machine is provided with all the necessary components to operate automatically upon request of a consumer and includes the capability of washing all the parts of the machines that are in contact with the food product once a processing and dispensing cycle is over.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated. and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the. scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.