CN1852858A - Assembly for drink dispenser and container provided with a pressure medium reservoir - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly of a drink dispenser (2) provided with a chamber (4) for accommodating a containing carbonated drink, a lid (5) for closing the chamber, a dispensing head (13) for opening and closing a dispensing line (10) and a container (3) containing carbonated drink provided with a drink dispensing opening (8) and with a dispensing line (10) that connects the drink dispensing opening head, wherein the container is provided with a pressure medium feed opening (21) and with a reservoir (17) with a pressure medium therein which reservoir is provided with a pressure line coupling (20) wherein the lid is provided with a pressure line (22) with, at one end, a reservoir connector (23) for connecting to the pressure line coupling (20) of the reservoir and with, at the end, a pressure medium feed opening (21) of the container, wherein the reservoir connector and the pressure medium feed connector are brought into fluid-tight engagement with the pressure line coupling and the pressure medium feed opening, respectively, by closing the lid.

Description

Beverage dispenser assembly and container provided with pressure medium reservoir

technical field

The present invention relates to a beverage dispenser assembly comprising: a chamber for containing a container containing carbonated beverage; a cap for closing said chamber; a dispensing head for opening and closing a dispensing line; and A container containing carbonated beverages is provided with a beverage dispensing port and a dispensing line connecting the beverage dispensing port with a dispensing head, wherein the container is provided with a pressure medium supply port.

The invention also relates to a beverage dispenser and a container for use in such a beverage dispenser.

Background technique

A beverage dispenser assembly is disclosed in applicant's NL-A 1019054. In this document, a container containing a carbonated beverage, in particular beer, is described. Wherein, beer is packed in the flexible bag. The flexible bag is contained within a rigid plastic container. The container is placed within the beverage dispenser. The beverage dispenser is provided with a compressor connected to the container by a pressure line so as to generate pressure in the space between the flexible bag and the rigid outer container. The use of a compressor within a beverage dispenser can lead to such a relatively complex structure, while the compressor can cause vibrations and increased noise levels.

Furthermore, it is known to supply a pressure medium such as _CO2 into containers such as metal containers containing whipped cream or beer _cans at pressures such as 50 bar and higher using CO2 tanks containing _CO2 . The capacity of the _CO2 tank is relatively small and if not connected quickly and in a sealed manner, most of the _CO2 will escape on connection. The sealing of the high-pressure _CO2 tank and the adjustment of its pressure are relatively complicated. Furthermore, the known devices do not facilitate the user to set an adjustment pressure.

A beer keg is also known from German utility model publication DE 201 15 158 U1 in which a pressure medium chamber is formed by a cavity in the keg filled with gaseous CO ₂ . A separate dispensing head that includes a pressure regulator that the user connects to the beer keg's beer dispensing valve and _CO2 delivery valve. When the dispensing head is connected, the pressure medium chamber is connected to the beer body in the keg. The pressure regulating element is not shown in detail. However, if an effective manual connection is made by an inexperienced user, _CO2 is lost from the pressure medium chamber, so that the discharge pressure is reduced or as a result of this in the worst case only a part of the substance can be removed from the pressure medium chamber. Beer kegs drained.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispenser assembly and container containing carbonated beverage which do not require the use of external pressure means, such as a compressor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a beverage dispenser assembly with which a chamber with a carbonated beverage inside can be connected to a pressure medium reservoir in a simple, quick and reliable manner by an inexperienced user.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beverage dispenser assembly in which a commercially available reservoir containing liquid _CO2 can be connected under high pressure in a simple manner and with relatively low losses.

To this end, the container in the assembly according to the invention is provided with a pressure medium supply port and a reservoir with pressure medium inside, said reservoir being provided with a pressure line coupling, wherein the cover is provided with a pressure line with a There is a reservoir connector for connection to the pressure line coupling of the reservoir and at the other end a pressure medium supply connector for connection to the pressure medium supply port of the container, wherein, by closing the cover, the reservoir can be The connector and the pressure medium supply connector engage in a fluid-tight manner with the pressure line coupling and the pressure medium supply port, respectively.

After the container has been placed in the beverage dispenser, when the lid is closed, the contents of the container are connected to the pressure medium reservoir without further intermediate operations by the user. The position of the container relative to the lid is precisely defined, for example, by positioning the heavy portion on the container as described by the applicant in NL-A1019526. This application is incorporated herein by reference. Closing the lid allows a connection between the pressure medium reservoir and the container without significant loss of pressure medium. To provide a correct closing action, the lid can be arranged to double close, as described by the applicant in NL-A 1019054, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the pressure line is connected to a pressure regulator for regulating the pressure drop between the reservoir connector and the pressure medium supply connector of the pressure line. In this way, the beverage dispenser can be adjusted by the user to the desired dispensing pressure, for example, to dispense beer with a large head at high pressure, or with less foam at low pressure.

In one embodiment, the container is provided with a receiving chamber with a replaceable container in which CO ₂ is filled at a pressure higher than 1 bar. The vessel may contain compressed _CO2 or _CO2 adsorbed on carbon at a pressure of about 10 bar, as described in NL-A 1012922, or may contain liquid _CO2 at a pressure greater than 50 bar. When the lid is closed (which can be pivoted, rotated or slid relative to the chamber), the results are virtually inaccessible due to the quick and reliable connection of the pressure line to the _CO2 tank at one end and the beverage chamber at the other. There are pressure medium losses, the advantages of which are particularly pronounced when relatively small volumes of pressure medium are used at high pressure.

In a further preferred embodiment, the pressure line communicates with an expansion chamber placed between the reservoir connector of the pressure line and the pressure medium supply connector such that the pressure of _CO2 in the reservoir is reduced. As a result, the pressure medium delivery connection from the pressure line to the container containing the carbonated beverage can be a relatively low-pressure connection, the sealing of which can be relatively easily performed. Due to the relatively low pressure, a pressure regulator integrated between the expansion chamber and the pressure medium supply connection can likewise be handled simply and thus result in an inexpensive construction. Furthermore, when the cap is closed, the _CO2 flowing from the reservoir will move to the expansion chamber, thereby reducing the loss of pressure medium due to leakage to the surroundings.

The reservoir containing _CO2 can be removably attached to the container and may include an aerosol container or a _CO2 metal canister containing liquid _CO2 contained in a cavity in the wall.

Description of drawings

Some embodiments of the assembly according to the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached figures.

Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of an assembly according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows the assembly where the lid of the beverage dispenser is provided with an expansion chamber,

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the detailed connection between the reservoir connector and the pressure line coupling.

Detailed ways

Figure 1 shows an assembly 1 of a beverage dispenser 2 and a container 3 containing a carbonated beverage. Such an assembly is described in Applicant's NL-A1019054, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The beverage dispenser 2 has a chamber 4 for loading the container through the top surface, and a lid 5 connected by a hinge 6 to the wall of the chamber so that it can be pivoted. The container 3 is provided with a dispensing opening 8 which is closed by a spring loaded valve 9 . The dispensing line 10 , which presses into the spring-loaded valve 9 , is connected to the discharge head 13 with a shut-off valve, which is not shown in detail. The end of the dispensing line 10 can be opened and closed by means of a discharge handle 14 . The chamber 4 can be cooled by a Peltier cooling element.

The receiving cavity 16 is made in the container 3 . A _CO2 tank with liquid _CO2 is housed in this chamber. After or before filling the container 3 with a carbonated beverage such as beer, the can can be connected to the receiving chamber on the filling line in such a way that it cannot be released by the user. The _CO2 tank is provided with a pressure line coupling 20 in the form of a small stub. Furthermore, the container 3 is provided with a pressure medium supply opening 21 which can be closed by a spring-loaded ball valve or a pierceable membrane.

Furthermore, a pressure line 22 is housed in the cover 5 with a reservoir connector 23 for engaging in a gas-tight manner on the nipple 20 of the CO ₂ tank 17 . At the other end of the pressure line there is a pressure medium supply connection 24 , for example in the form of a simple sealing sleeve and an opening in the wall of the container 3 . A pressure regulator 25 is incorporated in the pressure line 22 so that the pressure between the _CO2 tank 17 and the interior of the container 3 can be reduced by user regulation in order to obtain the desired discharge characteristics in the case of beer. The positions of the pressure line 22 and the _CO2 tank 17 inside the cover 5 are such that when the cover 5 is closed by pivoting, the reservoir connector 23 and the pressure medium supply connector 24 are respectively connected to the _CO2 tank inside the container 17 and pressure medium supply port 21. The _CO2 tank is opened by pressure from the lid, for example, by piercing a seal inside the _CO2 tank or operating a ball valve, as shown in Figure 3.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the pressure line 22 is provided with an expansion chamber 40 , for example, whose capacity is equal to ten times that of the CO ₂ tank 17 . It is also possible to replace the _CO2 tank with a container containing activated carbon, as described in applicant's NL-A 1012922, or a known aerosol container.

FIG. 3 shows a pressure line coupling 20 for the reservoir 17 . It consists of a spring-loaded ball valve 43 and a receiving sleeve 44 made in an annular plastic fixture 45 . The fixing member 45 is connected to the top wall 47 of the container 3 by threads 46 . As the reservoir connector 23, the pressure line 22 has a small front end 48 which can extend into the receiving sleeve 44 and which, when pushed down as a result of the closing of the cover 5, pushes down the ball valve 43 and thus through the pressure regulation A valve 25 connects the contents of the reservoir 17 to the interior of the container 3 . The top surface 47 of the container 3 is provided with a supply port 21 into which an end portion of the pressure line 22 is pushed through a rubber sealing ring 50 .

Claims (8)

1. A beverage dispenser assembly comprising: a chamber for containing a container containing a carbonated beverage; a cap for closing said chamber; a dispensing head for opening and closing a dispensing line; A container for carbonated beverages with a beverage dispensing opening and a dispensing line connecting the beverage dispensing opening to the dispensing head; wherein the container is provided with a pressure medium supply opening and a reservoir with pressure medium therein, the storage The cover is provided with a pressure line coupler; the cover is provided with a pressure line with a reservoir connector at one end for connecting to the pressure line coupler of the reservoir and a pressure medium supply connector at the other end for connection A pressure medium supply port to the container; by closing the cover, the reservoir connector and the pressure medium supply connector engage in a fluid-tight manner with the pressure line coupling and the pressure medium supply port, respectively. 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the pressure line is connected to a pressure regulator for providing a pressure drop between the reservoir connector and the pressure medium supply connector of the pressure line. 3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is provided with a containment chamber with a replaceable container containing _CO2 at a pressure higher than 1 bar. 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the replaceable container contains liquid _CO2 . 5. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pressure line communicates with an expansion chamber interposed between the reservoir connector of the pressure line and the pressure medium supply connector to reduce the _CO2 from the reservoir pressure. 6. A container for use in an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a reservoir with pressure medium therein, said reservoir being provided with a pressure line coupling and a supply of pressure medium, wherein the reservoir The container is connected in a detachable manner. 7. The container of claim 6, wherein the reservoir contains liquid _CO2 . 8. A dispenser for use in an assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising: a chamber for containing a container containing a carbonated beverage; a cap for closing said chamber; a dispensing head , which is used to open and close the dispensing line; wherein the cap is provided with a pressure line with a reservoir connector at one end for connection to a pressure line coupler of the reservoir and a pressure medium supply connector at the other end , used to connect to the pressure medium supply port of the container; when the container is placed in the beverage dispenser, by closing the cover, the reservoir connector and the pressure medium supply connector are respectively connected to the pressure line coupler and the pressure medium supply port of the container joined in a fluid-tight manner.

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