BEVERAGE CAROUSEL DISPENSING DEVICE SUITABLE FOR TAPPING MULTIPLE SELF-EMPTYING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS

• US 20100187264A1
• Filed: 05/26/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Rethmeier, Karel Frederik, Sanderse, Ernest David Jan
• Application Number:
  US12/601,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20100187264A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/394
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0456 Siphons, i.e. beverage containers under gas pressure without supply of further pressurised gas during dispensing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-emptying beverage container containing a beverage that can be emptied in one go without using gravity or an external pressure source at the time the beverage is being delivered. The present invention further relates to a beverage carousel dispensing device for tapping multiple beverage containers, especially multiple self-emptying beverage containers.

Claims

1. A self-emptying beverage container (1) containing a beverage (2), wherein the self-emptying beverage container (1) comprises:

a beverage outlet opening (4);

a compressed gas (5) in an amount that is sufficient to drive out the beverage (2) inside the self-emptying beverage container (1) in one go;

wherein the maximum filling level of the beverage (2) of the self-emptying beverage container (1) is ≦

90 Vol.-% of the total inner volume (6) of the self-emptying beverage container (1).

2. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the amount of gas (5) inside the self-emptying beverage container (1), calculated on the basis of atmospheric pressure and room temperature, is at least ≧

1.1 and ≦

10, preferably ≧

1.3, further preferably ≧

1.5, more preferably ≧

2 and most preferably ≧

3 times as much compared to the total inner volume (6) of said self-emptying beverage container (1).

3. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the pressure of the compressed gas (5) at 23°

C. inside the self-emptying beverage container (1) is at least 1.5 bars, preferably ≧

2 bars and ≦

10 bars, more preferably ≧

3 bars and ≦

7 bars and most preferably ≧

4 bars and ≦

5 bars.

4. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the compressed gas (5) inside the self-emptying beverage container (1) is less than 50 vol.-% and ≧

10 vol.-%, preferably ≦

40 vol.-% and ≧

15 vol.-%, more preferably ≦

35 vol.-% and ≧

20 vol.-% and most preferably ≦

30 vol.-% and ≧

25 vol.-%, based on the total inner volume of the self-emptying beverage container (1).

5. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the compressed gas (5) is in direct contact with the beverage and/or the compressed gas (5) is inside a capsule (7) enclosed in the inner volume of said self-emptying beverage container, whereby the capsule (7) releases a compressed gas stored inside said capsule (7) by the time the gas pressure inside the self-emptying beverage container falls below a defined gas pressure limit, which is above atmosphere pressure.

6. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the self-emptying beverage container (1) comprises a gas pressure inlet opening (17) through which a compressed gas can be inserted into the self-emptying beverage container (1), preferably the gas pressure inlet opening (17) and the beverage outlet opening (4) being located opposite each other on the top (21) or bottom (22) of said self-emptying beverage container (1), more preferably the gas pressure inlet opening (17) and the beverage outlet opening (4) being located near the top (21) or bottom (22) of said self-emptying beverage container (1) and most preferably the gas pressure inlet opening (17) and the beverage outlet opening (4) being part of the same valve (21).

7. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the self-emptying beverage container (1) comprises a beverage delivering tube (3) with an outlet opening (8) arranged at least inside the beverage and in contact with the beverage outlet opening (4) arranged on top of the self-emptying beverage container (1) through which the beverage is driven out, preferably the beverage delivering tube (3) extending at least from the top or near the bottom (22) of said self-emptying beverage container and preferably a section of the delivering tube (3) extending outwards.

8. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the beverage outlet opening (4) and/or the outlet opening (8) of the beverage delivering tube (3) comprise an adapter (18) and/or a valve (18) to which the tapping device (13) can be connected for delivering the beverage.

9. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the self-emptying beverage container (1) comprises beverage, preferably a carbonated beverage and most preferably beer, in an amount of ≧

200 ml to ≦

10 l, preferably ≧

300 ml to ≦

6 l, further preferably ≧

500 ml to ≦

5 l and more preferably ≧

700 ml to ≦

3 l.

10. The self-emptying beverage container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the compressed gas is air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and/or a noble gas, and preferably a mixture of at least two different gases.

11. A beverage carousel dispensing device (9) with a housing (10) and a holding element (11) located within the housing (10) for receiving at least two beverage containers (A1) comprising non self-emptying beverage containers (A2) and/or self-emptying beverage containers (1) according to claim 1, wherein the beverage carousel dispensing device (9) comprises a tapping device (13) for dispensing beverage from the beverage container (A1) and a cooling element, so that the housing (10) functions as a chiller for cooling the beverage.

12. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the holding element (11) is arranged to receive at least 4 to 10 beverage containers, preferably self-emptying beverage containers (1).

13. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the holding element (11) can be actuated to transport a selected beverage container, preferably a self-emptying beverage container (1), to a predetermined connecting tapping point (12) inside the housing (10) to be connected to the tapping device (13), so that a first beverage container (1a) can be replaced by a second beverage container (1b) at the connecting tapping point (12).

14. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the tapping device comprises an adapter (18), preferably a valve element (18), for connecting the beverage container (1) with the tapping device (13), the tapping device (13) preferably having a knob (19) for moving the adapter (18) of the tapping device (13) up and down.

15. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the tapping device (13) comprises a pressure release chamber (23) and/or a beverage tube (24).

16. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the holding element (11) is rotatable to transport the selected self-emptying beverage container (1) to the predetermined connecting tapping point (12) inside the housing (10).

17. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the beverage carousel dispensing device (9) comprises a pressure pump (15), which can be actuated manually to increase the gas pressure inside the self-emptying beverage container (1) at the connecting tapping point (12), the pressure line (16) of the pump (15) being connected with the gas pressure inlet opening (17) of the beverage container (1a) at the connecting tapping point (12).

18. The beverage carousel dispensing device (9) according to claim 11, wherein the beverage carousel dispensing device (9) comprises a top cover (14) and/or door (14), which is connected with the pump (15), an opening or closing of the top cover (14) and/or door (14) actuating the pump (12), preferably at least one forward and backward-movement of the top cover (14) and/or door (14) actuating a gas pressure stroke from the pump sufficient to empty a beverage container (1) connected therewith in one go.