BEVERAGE DISPENSING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN INTEGRATED PRESSURE REDUCING CHANNEL

• US 20120285998A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB InBev Co.
• Original Assignee: AB InBev Co.
• Inventors: Vandekerckhove, Stijn, Peirsman, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,016,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 222/396
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0412 the whole dispensing unit being fixed to the container
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0418 comprising a CO2 cartridge for dispensing and carbonating the beverage
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1272 preventing froth
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00052 with flow tranquilisers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00131 wearable by a person, e.g. as a backpack or helmet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4998 Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material

Abstract

Disclosed is a concentrator solar cell which guides concentrated sunlight to a solar cell. The concentrator solar cell has: a substrate which has a solar cell mounted thereon; a light guide member which is positioned in the top part of the solar cell in such a way that the lower end surface thereof faces the solar cell; and a support member which is provided across the upper part of the light guide member and is provided in a standing state on the substrate. The concentrator solar cell is a hermetically sealed structure due to the substrate, the light guide member, and the support member.

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing apparatus for dispensing a beverage comprising:

a container containing a beverage to be dispensed, wherein the container'"'"'s opening is closed with a closure and the container may be dressed with a chime;

Pressurizing means for increasing the pressure in the interior of the container;

a dispensing duct bringing in fluid communication the liquid beverage contained in the container with the exterior, for drawing beverage out of the container, said dispensing duct comprising;

a dispensing pipe opening to ambient via a valve; and

a pressure reducing channel with an opening connecting in fluid communication the interior of the container with the dispensing pipe;

wherein, the pressure reducing channel is disposed in a housing made of two half bodies joined together, each body comprising a matching open channel forming the closed pressure reducing channel upon joining, and in that at least one of the half bodies is an integral part of either the container'"'"'s closure or the chime, if any.

2. A dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure reducing channel is curved and/or has a varying cross-sectional area.

3. The dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the two half bodies are injection moulded and joined by gluing, welding, over-injection, or by any mechanical fastening means.

4. The dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the open channel in one of the two half bodies is provided with walls and the open channel of the other half body is provided with corresponding recesses to ensure alignment of the two half bodies upon joining and to ensure fluid tightness of the closed channel.

5. The dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein components of the dispensing pipe and/or the dispensing stem if any are integral parts of the half bodies.

6. The dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, which is a disposable home beer dispenser.

7. The dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprising the channel is made of polypropylene.

8. The dispensing apparatus according claim 1, wherein the housing comprises also a through channel fluidly connecting the external surface of the first half body with the external surface of the second half body, for the injection of propellant gas into the container.

9. A dispensing apparatus according to a claim 1, wherein the channel comprises at least one sharp bend.

10. A method for producing a pressure reducing channel for reducing the pressure of a liquid flowing through a dispensing duct of a pressure driven beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, said method comprising the following steps:

injection moulding two half bodies of a housing, each half body comprising on their inner surface an open channel matching the open channel of the other half;

bringing the two half bodies in abutting relationship, with the open channel of one half body vis-à

-vis the open channel of the other half body to thus form a closed channel; and

joining the two half bodies to yield a fluid tight channel;

wherein, at least one of the half bodies is an integral part of either the closure of the container containing the beverage to be dispensed or of the chime dressing said container, if any.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the joining of the two half bodies is achieved by over-injection of a polymer at the interface between the two parts, the over-injection being performed within the same tool as for the injection of the half bodies and the over-injected polymer preferably being the same as the one constituting the half bodies.