Description CUP WASHER

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a cup washer, and more particularly, to a cup washer capable of sterilizing and washing used cups for reuse thereof. Background Art

[2] In general, cups are vessels for drinking beverages, and are formed of various materials such as glass, plastic, ceramic, metal, and so on.

[3] Such cups are widely used in vending machines, restaurants, and so on. While used cups have been manually washed, since it is difficult towash a large number of cups, in recent times, a dishwasher has been used to wash the used cups.

[4] However, since the dishwasher is not a device for exclusively washing cups, it may not only be inconvenient to wash cups using the dishwasher but the cups may also collide with other dishes causing damage to the cups.

[5] In addition, it is not often that dirty materials or greasy dirt is stuck to the surfaces of the cups. Nevertheless, since the conventional dishwasher washes cups to a level similar to other dishes, water and time are wasted.

[6] In order to solve the problems, disposable cups have been used. However, the disposable cups generate toxic materials such as endocrine disruptors causing environmental problems and threatening our health.

[7] Although the government has reinforced Environmental Law and restricted use of disposable goods in order to prevent these problems, there is no suitable alternative. In addition, in order to recover and reuse the used disposable cups, the used disposable cups are recovered by a deposit-refund system. The deposit-refund system is the surcharge on the price of potentially polluting products. When a user returns the products, a refund of the surcharge is granted. However, consumers are largely disregarding the deposit-refund system.

[8] Therefore, in order to solve these problems, use of synthetic resin cups, which are washable, is recommended instead of disposable cups, and thus, there is a need for a cup washer.

[9] A cup washer has been invented in order to solve the problems. The cup washer includes a brush installed at a rotary shaft of a motor and is configured to inject water to wash cups using the brush and the injected water. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[10] However, since the above cup washer is configured to wash the inside surfaces of the

cups, the outside surfaces of the cups should be washed through separate processes and thus use efficiency of the cup washer is decreased due to troublesomeness of operations.

[11] Moreover, in addition to the cup washer, a storage box for storing washed cups in a sterilized state should be provided, incurring additional cost, and adding an additional burden of requiring a user to move the washed cups from the cup washer to the storage box.

[12] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is directed to a cup washer using an ultrasonic washing method to remarkably improve cleanness and use convenience of cups by washing used cups, and sterilizing and storing washed cups. Technical Solution

[13] The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention may be achieved by providing a cup washer including: a main body having a cup inlet port and a cup discharge port; a guide part for guiding a cup inserted into the inlet port to be dropped downward in a laying state; a washing part for washing the cup dropped from the guide part using ultrasonic waves; a rinsing part for injecting washing water to the inside and outside of the cup conveyed from the washing part to rinse the cup; and a discharge part for forcedly discharging the cup rinsed in the rinsing part through the discharge port.

[14] The washing part may include: a washing case installed at a lower end of the guide part and storing washing water therein; a conveyance plate vertically and rotatably coupled to the washing case and having a plurality of receiving grooves, in which cups dropped from the guide part are received, to convey the cups depending on rotation thereof; and an ultrasonic generator for generating ultrasonic waves to the washing water stored in the washing case to wash the cups conveyed by the conveyance plate.

[15] Here, the conveyance plate may be configured to receive a rotational force through a drive means including a drive motor, and the drive means may be a rotary gear coupled to a rotary shaft of the conveyance plate and meshed with the drive motor.

[16] In addition, the guide part may be spirally formed from the inlet port to the washing part in a downwardly inclined manner.

[17] Further, the rinsing part may include: a rinsing case for accommodating cups conveyed from the washing part; a washing water supply pipe connected to an external water pipe and supplying washing water into the rinsing case; and at least one injection nozzle for injecting the washing water supplied from the washing water supply pipe to the inside and outside of the cup.

[18] Furthermore, the rinsing part may further include: a drain pipe installed to be in fluid communication with a lower part of the washing case; a used water tank for collecting

the contaminated water drained from the drain pipe; and a drain pump in fluid communication with the used water tank and discharging the contaminated water collected in the used water tank to the exterior.

[19] In addition, the rinsing case may includea turnover groove for turning over the cup conveyed in a laying state into an invertedvertical state.

[20] Further, the discharge part may include: a discharge piece rotatably installed at a bottom surface of the rinsing part to forcedly discharge the cup accommodated in the rinsing part through the outlet port; and a drive motor for transmitting a rotational force to the discharge piece.

[21] Furthermore, the main body may have a storage space opened through a door, the outlet port may be formed at an inner wall of the storage space, and the cup discharged through the outlet port may be stored in the storage space.

[22]

Brief Description of the Drawings

[23] The above and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[24] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup washer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention

[25] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

[26] FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view of a guide part in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention

[27] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a washing part in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and

[28] FIG. 5 is a top cross-sectional view of a rinsing part in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[29] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[30] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cup washer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 100 having a cup inlet port 110 and a cup discharge port 120, a guide part 200 for guiding cups 1 inserted into the inlet port 110 to be dropped downward in a laying state; a washing part 300 for washing the cup 1 dropped from the guide part 200 using ultrasonic waves; a rinsing part 400 for injecting washing water to the inside and outside of the cup 1 washed in the washing part 300 to rinse the cup 1 ; and a discharge part 500 for forcedly discharging the cup 1 rinsed in the rinsing part 400 through the discharge port 120.

[31] The main body 100 forms the appearance of the cup washer. The inlet port 110 is formed at a front upper end of the main body 100 to receive a plurality of cups 1 to be washed. A storage space 130 is formed at a front lower part to store the cups 1 in an inverted vertical state. A door 140 is pivotally hinged at one side in the front of the storage space 130 to open and close the storage space 130. Thedischarge port 120 is formed at an inner wall of the storage space 130 to discharge the washed cups 1 into the storage space 130.

[32] In addition, an opening/closing plate 150 is pivotally hinged at an upper surface of the main body 100 to be in fluid communication with the interior of the main body 100.

[33] Here, the inlet port 110 is configured such that the cups 1 can be input in a state in which upper surfaces of the cups 1 are laid toward a side surface of the main body 100. The storage space 130 may include an ultraviolet lamp (not shown) for sterilizing the cups 1 and a heater (not shown) for drying the cups 1.

[34] As shown in FIG. 3, the guide part 300 spirally extends downward from the inlet port

110 to the washing part 300 along an inner periphery of the main body 100 such that the cups 1 inserted into the inlet port 110 are supplied to the washing part 200 in a laying state.

[35] The washing part 300 functions to wash the cups 1 dropped from the guide part 200 using ultrasonic waves, and includes a washing case 310 installed at a lower end of the guide part 200, a conveyance plate 320 conveying the cups 1 dropped from the guide part 200 into the washing case 310, and an ultrasonic generator 330 for generating ultrasonic waves to the washing water stored in the washing case.

[36] As shown in FIG. 4, the washing case 310 is installed at a lower end of the guide part

200. The washing water is stored in the washing case 310. A support plate 311 is installed at an upper surface of the washing case 30 to support the cup 1 received in the conveyance plate 320 to prevent separation of the cup 1. A heater 312 is installed at an inner lower end of the washing case 310 to heat the washing water. A gauge 313 is installed at an inner upper end of the washing case 310 to measure the level of the washing water stored therein such that the washing water is supplied depending on the level measured by the gauge 313.

[37] The conveyance plate 320 has a circular shape. A center part of the conveyance plate

320 is rotatably coupled to an inner wall of the washing case 310 in a vertical posture. A plurality ofreceiving grooves 321 are formed at an outer periphery of the conveyance plate 320 to receive the cup 1 dropped from the guide part 200 such that the cup 1 passes through the washing water stored in the washing case 310 depending on rotation of the conveyance plate 320.

[38] In addition, a rotary gear as a drive means 340 is coupled to one end of a rotary shaft

of the conveyance plate 320, and a drive motor 350 is coupled to one side of an outer periphery of the rotary gear 340 to transmit power to the rotary gear 340.

[39] That is, the conveyance plate 320 receives a rotational force of the drive motor 350 through the rotary gear 340 and is rotated thereby.

[40] In addition, the three receiving grooves 321 are formed in the outer periphery of the conveyance plate 320 at predetermined intervals. A left inner wall of the receiving groove has a curved surfaceto prevent extraction of the cups 1, and a right inner wall of the receiving groove has a gentle slope to extract the cups 1 to the exterior.

[41] That is, as shown in FIG.2, when the receiving groove 321 is disposed at a left side of the conveyance plate 320, the receiving groove 320 receives the cups 1 dropped from the guide part 200, when disposed at a lower center of the conveyance plate 320, the cups 1 are washed by the ultrasonic generator 330, and when disposed at a right side of the conveyance plate 320, the cups 1 are extracted along the slope.

[42] The drive motor 350 is rotated in increments of 120

O such that the receiving groove 321 is always located at a lower end of the guide part 200 and thus the cups 1 dropped from the guide part 200 are received in the receiving groove 321.

[43] In addition, a detection sensor (not shown) is installed at the conveyance plate 320 to detect whether a cup is received in the receiving groove 321. When the detection sensor detects existence of the cup 1 in the receiving groove 321, the detection sensor transmits a signal to a controller (not shown) to rotate the conveyance plate 320. When there is no cup 1 in the receiving groove 321, the detection sensor transmits a signal to the controller to maintain a fixed state of the conveyance plate 320.

[44] The ultrasonic generator 330 is installed at an outer lower surface of the washing case 310, and includes a vibrator for applying ultrasonic vibrations to wash the cups 1 passing through the washing water stored in the washing case 310.

[45] Here, the ultrasonic generator 330is well-known in the art, and thus, detailed description and illustration thereof will be omitted.

[46] The rinsing part 400 functions to rinse the cups 1 washed in the washing part 300 with clean water, and includes a rinsing case 410 installed at the otherside of the washing case 310 and receiving the cups 1 extracted from the conveyance plate 320, a supply pipe 420 in fluid communication with an external water pipe and supplying washing water into the rinsing case 410, a plurality of injection nozzles 430 installed at inner upper and lower ends of the rinsing case 410 and injecting the washing water supplied from the supply pipe 420 to the insides and outsides of the cups 1, a drain pipe 440 installed to be in fluid communication with a lower part of the washing case 410, a used water tank 450 for collecting contaminated water drained from the drain

pipe 440, and a drain pump 460 in fluid communicationwith the used water tank 450 and discharging the contaminated water collected in the used water tank 450 to the exterior. [47] Here, a turnover part 411 is installed at the rinsing case 410 to turn over the cups conveyed from the conveyance plate in a laying state into an inverted vertical state. [48] One side of the turnover part 411 is connected to an upper surfaceof the other side of the washing case 310, and the other side of the turnover part 411 is disposed at an inner center of the rinsing case 410. A turnover groove 41 Ia is formed at the other side to turn over the cups into an inverted state. [49] That is, when the cups extracted from the washing case 310 are disposed in theturnover groove 41 Ia of the turnover part 411 in a laying state, one sides of the cups disposed in the turnover groove 411a are dropped due to their weight to be inverted on a bottom surface of the rinsing case 410. [50] The discharge part 500 functions to forcedly discharge the rinsed cups 1 through the discharge port 130 to store the cups 1 in the storage space 130, and includes a discharge piece 510 rotatably installed at one side of the bottom surface of the rinsing case 410 and forcedly discharging the cups 1 received in the rinsing case 410 through the discharge port 120, and a drive motor 520 for transmitting a rotational force to the discharge piece 510. [51] That is, the discharge piece 410 is rotated depending on power transmission of the drive motor 520 topress the outer peripheries of the cups 1 to be forcedly moved into the storage space 130 through the discharge port 120.

[52] Hereinafter, operation of the cup washer constituted as above will be described.

[53] First, when a used cup 1 is inserted into the inlet port 110 of the main body 100, the cup 1 is guided downward by the guide part 200 to be received into the receiving groove 321 of the conveyance plate 320 in a laying state. [54] When the cup 1 is received into the receiving groove 321 as described above, the drive means 340 is rotated by the drive motor 350 to rotate the conveyance plate 320 by 120

and thus, the cup 1 received in the receiving groove 321 is submerged in the washing water in the washing case 310. [55] Then, the ultrasonic generator 330 is operated to generate ultrasonic waves to the washing water in the washing case 310, and the heater 312 heats the washing water to sterilize the cup 1. [56] When the cup 1 is completely washed as described above, the conveyance plate 320 is rotated by 120

by the drive means 340 including the drive motor 350, and then, the cup 1 received in the receiving groove 321 is extracted along the right slope to be received in the rinsing case 410. [57] At this time, the cup 1 received into the rinsing case 410 in a laying state is turned over into an inverted vertical state by the turnover groove 41 Ia of the turnover part

411. [58] Next, the washing water supplied from the supply pipe 420 is injected to the outside and inside of the cup 1 through the plurality of injection nozzles 430 to perform a rinsing process, and the rinsed cup 1 is forcedly discharged through the discharge port

120 by the discharge piece 510 rotated by the drive motor 520 to be stored in the storage space 130 of the main body 100. [59] Meanwhile, the washing water used to wash the cup 1 received in the rinsing case

410 is stored in the used water tank 450 through the drain pipe 440. When the used water is stored in the used water tank 450 more than a predetermined level, the used water is discharged by the drain pump 460 to the exterior. [60]

Industrial Applicability [61] As can be seen from the foregoing, a cup washer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can reduce a cup washing time using ultrasonic waves, and remarkably improve cup washing efficiency. [62]