Systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks. Some machines include a refrigeration system to cool food or drink in a pod. Some machines include an evaporator of the refrigeration system, the evaporator including an inlet port to receive refrigerant and an outlet port to discharge refrigerant. Some machines include a processor controlling the refrigeration system. In some examples, the refrigeration system is operable to apply a freezing cycle to the food or drink in which refrigerant flows through the evaporator exchanging heat from ingredients in the pod to the refrigerant causing a temperature difference between an evaporator inlet temperature and an evaporator outlet temperature.

Among other things, a chiller for chilling water to be dispensed as part of beverages includes a tank configured to contain a cooling mass for chilling the water. A first tube in the tank is configured to be immersed in the cooling mass and to carry the water along a path from a source towards a location where the chilled water is to be dispensed as part of the beverages. A second tube is configured to be immersed in the cooling mass and to carry a coolant along a recirculation path from a coolant source and back to the coolant source. The coolant has a sufficiently low temperature to cause a frozen mass to be formed as part of the cooling mass within the tank and in the vicinity of the second tube. The first tube and the second tube are configured and positioned relative to one another within the tank so that the frozen mass occupies at least 30 percent of the volume of the cooling mass in the tank but does not touch the first tube.

A cold water tank includes a tank body, a cover part connected to the tank body to cover an open top of the tank body, and a cooling unit disposed in the tank body to cool water stored inside the tank body so as to make cold water. The cover part is configured to have an air layer formed therein, thereby minimizing or preventing the occurrence of condensation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling a water purifier delays the operating time of an agitator at an early stage of a current refrigerating cycle operation when a supercooled state has occurred in an immediately previous refrigerating cycle operation step.

Beverage dispensers are disclosed. A beverage dispenser may include a carbonation pump, pressure tank, and a pressure switch configured to active the pressure pump when a pressure in the pressure tank falls below a threshold pressure. The pressure switch may cause the carbonation pump to shut off when the pressure in the pressure tank exceeds an upper threshold pressure. The beverage dispenser may be convertible from a carbonated beverage dispenser to a non-carbonated beverage dispenser.

The present invention relates to a water purifier. In detail, the water purifier includes: a water purifier body including a housing forming an external shape and filters disposed in the housing to filter original water flowing inside from the outside; a dispenser module at least partially protruding forward from the water purifier body and having a dispenser nozzle supplying water passing through the filters to the outside of the water purifier body; and a tray disposed under the dispenser nozzle. The dispenser module is turned to both sides and is moved up/down.

A liquid dispenser includes a first lifting cover, a second lifting cover, a lifting motor, a gear module, and a dispenser nozzle. The first lifting cover includes a lifting gear extending in a vertical direction. The gear module includes a gear bracket coupled to the second lifting cover and a gear. The gear is rotated along the lifting gear by the operation of the lifting motor, and the second lifting cover is relatively moved with respect to the first lifting cover in the vertical direction.

A liquid dispenser includes a case and a dispenser, and dispenser includes a dispenser side cover, a first lifting cover, a second lifting cover, and a dispenser nozzle. The first lifting cover includes a guide rail and the second lifting cover includes a coupling bracket provided with a magnet. As the coupling bracket is slidably moved along the guide rail by the attractive force being applied between the magnet and the guide rail, the second lifting cover is lifted and lowered from the first lifting cover.

A water ejecting apparatus includes a case and a water ejection unit connected to one side of the case. The water ejection unit includes a first lifting cover having a lifting gear extending in an up-down direction, a second lifting cover movably accommodated inside the first lifting cover, a lifting motor coupled to the second lifting cover and configured to interwork with the lifting motor, a water ejection nozzle installed at a lower end of the second lifting cover and configured to eject water, and a light source disposed inside the second lifting cover and configured to output light to a lower side or a side surface of the second lifting cover.

A water ejecting apparatus includes a case and a water ejection unit coupled to one side of the case. The water ejection unit includes a rotator rotatably seated on an inner side of the front of the case, a first lifting cover coupled to one side of the rotator and allowing a lifting gear extending in an up-down direction to be fixed thereto, a second lifting cover movably accommodated inside the first lifting cover, a lifting motor coupled to the second lifting cover and configured to interwork with the lifting motor, a water ejection nozzle installed at a lower end of the second lifting cover and configured to eject water, and a water ejection pipe having one end accommodated in the second lifting cover and connected to the water ejection nozzle and the other end extending to the inside of the case by way of the rotator.