The present invention provides acidic or basic cleaning compositions for use in cleaning food and beverage industry processing equipment and pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry processing equipment wherein the compositions of the invention comprise a food-equipment-safe acidic or basic cleaning compound and a food-equipment-safe colorimetric indicator of pH to show the desired acid or basic conditions during storage prior to the start of a cleaning cycle and after storage and during a cleaning cycle. The cleaning compositions of the invention are particularly useful in, for example, CIP cleaning processes.

A cleaning unit (38) for supplying a cleaning liquid to a beverage dispensing system, in which the cleaning unit (38) comprises a first inlet (36) for receiving a pressure fluid, a second inlet (44) for receiving a cleaning liquid, an outlet (42) for supplying the cleaning liquid to a discharge valve of the beverage dispensing system, and a drive mechanism for forcing the cleaning liquid from the second inlet (44) to said outlet (42) by using the pressure fluid received at the first inlet.

A cleaning unit (38) for supplying a cleaning liquid to a beverage dispensing system, in which the cleaning unit (38) comprises a first inlet (36) for receiving a pressure fluid, a second inlet (44) for receiving a cleaning liquid, an outlet (42) for supplying the cleaning liquid to a discharge valve of the beverage dispensing system, and a drive mechanism for forcing the cleaning liquid from the second inlet (44) to said outlet (42) by using the pressure fluid received at the first inlet.

Provided is a water purifier. The water purifier includes a water purifier body including a housing defining an outer appearance and a filter provided in the housing to filter raw water introduced from the outside, a water discharge module including a water discharge nozzle that protrudes forward from the water purifier body to supply the water passing through the filter to the outside of the water purifier body, and a tray disposed below the water discharge nozzle. The water discharge module includes a case having a lower end through which the water discharge nozzle is exposed, an ultraviolet (UV) lamp disposed above the water discharge nozzle in the case to emit ultraviolet rays to an inner surface of the water discharge nozzle, a protection window made of a light transmission material and disposed below the UV lamp to protect the UV lamp against water, and at least one light source that irradiates light to the inside or outside of the water discharge nozzle according to turn-on/off of the UV lamp.

Ingredient dispensing systems and methods are disclosed. A disclosed system includes an ingredient reservoir and an electromechanical valve configured so that, when the electromechanical valve is activated, an ingredient is dispensed from the ingredient reservoir. The disclosed system also includes a current sensor configured to measure a current draw of the electromechanical valve. The disclosed system also includes a controller programmed to sample the current draw from the current sensor and to detect a dispense error of the electromechanical valve based on the sampled current draw.

A fluid material dispensing apparatus capable of conducting an automatic self-cleaning operation includes: controlling a switch to conduct a liquid outlet a cleaning sink and a liquid input port of a fluid diverter, so that cleaning solution in the cleaning sink flows into the fluid diverter; activate a pump to push residual fluid material in a material transmission pipe forward, so that the residual fluid material is discharged into a diversion device through an outlet connector; and utilizing operation of the pump to form a negative pressure in a detergent transmission pipe, so that the cleaning solution in the fluid diverter is sucked into a dual-mode fluid connector through the detergent transmission pipe, and then flows into the material transmission pipe through the dual-mode fluid connector.

A fluid material dispensing apparatus capable of conducting an automatic self-disinfection operation includes: controlling a switch to conduct a liquid outlet a cleaning sink and a liquid input port of a fluid diverter, so that the disinfectant solution in the cleaning sink flows into the fluid diverter; activate a pump to push residual cleaning solution in a material transmission pipe forward, so that the residual cleaning solution is discharged into a diversion device through an outlet connector; and utilizing operation of the pump to form a negative pressure in a detergent transmission pipe, so that the disinfectant solution in the fluid diverter is sucked into a dual-mode fluid connector through the detergent transmission pipe, and then flows into the material transmission pipe through the dual-mode fluid connector.

A cleaning valve for cleaning a beverage dispensing device is provided. The cleaning valve may include a valve body having a valve opening, a valve lever coupled to the valve body and configured to move the valve body between a product dispense position and a sanitize position, a product port configured to alternatively output a beverage product and a sanitizer based on a position of the valve lever, and a sanitizer port configured to receive the sanitizer from a sanitizer reservoir. The valve opening may be configured to create a first fluid communication path when the valve lever is in the product dispense position to allow the beverage product to output from the product port, and may be configured to create a second fluid communication path when the valve lever is in the sanitize position to allow the sanitizer to output from the product port.

In some embodiments of a fluid dispensing system: (1) two or more mixing channels are fluidly connected to (a) a mixing chamber fluidly connected to a dispenser, (b) a particular two or more solvent reservoirs, and (c) a respective one or more ingredient reservoirs, wherein each of the ingredient reservoirs is configured to dispense into a respective one of the mixing channels; and (2) a controller is programmed to receive a request for a fluid mixture, and, in response control the system to: mix, in the mixing channels to form an intermediate fluid mixture, a respective predetermined amount of solvent from each of the particular solvent reservoirs and a respective predetermined amount of the ingredients from some of the ingredient reservoirs; flow, to the mixing chamber and then to the dispenser, the intermediate fluid mixture; and dispense the requested fluid mixture (including the intermediate fluid mixture) via the dispenser.

A beverage dispensing device comprising a beverage reservoir, a receptacle that receives a beverage container including a beverage and discharges the beverage from the beverage container into the beverage reservoir, a cutting mechanism that opens the beverage container to release the beverage, a cooling system comprising one or more thermoelectric coolers including one or more plate-like surfaces along the flow path wherein the cooling system performs at least one of chilling or warming the beverage that flows over at least part of the plate-like surface. The beverage dispensing device further comprising a pump that transfers the beverage from the beverage reservoir to the cooling system, an aeration component that receives and aerates the beverage from the cooling system, and a discharge nozzle coupled to the aeration component that dispenses the beverage.