BEVERAGE EXTRACTOR WITH CONTROLLER

• US 20170144877A1
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coravin, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Coravin, Inc.
• Inventors: Lambrecht, Gregory, Rider, Michael, Sweezey, Andrew S., Vogt, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 10,519,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0004 the beverage being stored in a container, e.g. bottle, cartridge, bag-in-box, bowl
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0085 electro-mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0412 the whole dispensing unit being fixed to the container
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0801 of beverage containers, e.g. casks, kegs
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0878 Safety, warning or controlling devices B67D1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0885 Means for dispensing under specific atmospheric conditions, e.g. under inert gas
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/1277 Flow control valves
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0087 being mounted on the dispenser housing
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0092 Containers for gas, for, e.g. CO2, N2
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0098 using a gas
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0812 Bottles, cartridges or similar containers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/1259 Fluid level control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00091 Bar management means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0003 provided with automatic fluid control means
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0006 responsive to coded information provided on the neck or spout of the storage container, e.g. bar-code, magnets or transponder
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 3/0051 dispensing by tilting

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing beverage from a container, such as wine from a wine bottle. Dispensing may be automatically controlled based on a detected orientation of the container, e.g., dispensing may occur when a bottle is tilted as if to pour from the bottle and stopped when the bottle is oriented upright. Dispensing may be stopped when the container is rotated about its longitudinal axis even while in a pour orientation. A remaining amount of beverage in the container and/or an amount of pressurized gas used to drive dispensing may be detected and beverage dispensing controlled accordingly.

Claims

1. A container-mounted beverage dispensing system, comprising:

at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing in a user'"'"'s cup;

at least one valve to control gas flow into the container or beverage flow out of the container via the at least one conduit;

a container orientation sensor to detect whether the container is in a pour orientation or a no-pour orientation; and

a controller arranged to control the at least one valve to allow gas or beverage flow in the at least one conduit when the container is in a pour orientation and to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one conduit includes a single conduit to deliver gas into the container and receive beverage from the container.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the single conduit is part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one conduit includes a first conduit to deliver gas into the container and a second conduit to receive beverage from the container.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first and second conduits are part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a source of pressurized gas fluidly coupled to the at least one conduit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one valve includes a gas control valve arranged to control flow of gas from the source of pressurized gas to the at least one conduit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one valve includes a beverage control valve arranged to control flow of beverage from the at least one conduit to a beverage outlet.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect a pour condition when a bottom of the container is above an opening of the container.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect a pour condition when a longitudinal axis of the container is rotated about a horizontal axis by at least 90 degrees.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to open the at least one valve to allow pressurized gas to flow into the container when the container is in a pour orientation and to close the at least one valve to prohibit pressurized gas to flow into the container when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one conduit includes a single conduit, and the controller is arranged to alternate between opening the at least one valve to allow pressurized gas to flow into the container via the single conduit and closing the at least one valve to prohibit pressurized gas to flow into the container and allow beverage to flow from the container via the single conduit when the container is in a pour orientation.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to open the at least one valve to allow beverage to flow from the at least one conduit to a beverage outlet when the container is in a pour orientation and to close the at least one valve to prohibit beverage to flow from the at least one conduit to the beverage outlet when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve to dispense a defined amount of beverage from the container.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve in two modes including a first mode for maximized dispensing speed and a second mode for minimized pressurized gas usage.

16. A container-mounted beverage dispensing system, the container having a longitudinal axis, the system comprising:

at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing in a user'"'"'s cup;

at least one valve to control gas flow into the container or beverage flow out of the container via the at least one conduit;

a container orientation sensor to detect rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in a pour orientation; and

a controller arranged to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow in response to rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in the pour orientation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one conduit includes a single conduit to deliver gas into the container and receive beverage from the container.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the single conduit is part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one conduit includes a first conduit to deliver gas into the container and a second conduit to receive beverage from the container.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first and second conduits are part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising a source of pressurized gas fluidly coupled to the at least one conduit.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one valve includes a gas control valve arranged to control flow of gas from the source of pressurized gas to the at least one conduit.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one valve includes a beverage control valve arranged to control flow of beverage from the at least one conduit to a beverage outlet.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect the pour condition when a bottom of the container is above an opening of the container, and the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve to allow gas or beverage flow in the at least one conduit when the container is in the pour orientation and to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect the pour condition when a longitudinal axis of the container is rotated about a horizontal axis by at least 90 degrees, and the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve to allow gas or beverage flow in the at least one conduit when the container is in the pour orientation and to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the controller is arranged to close the at least one valve to prohibit flow of pressurized gas into the container in response to rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in the pour orientation.

27. A container-mounted beverage dispensing system, comprising:

at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing in a user'"'"'s cup;

at least one valve to control gas flow into the container or beverage flow out of the container via the at least one conduit;

a source of pressurized gas fluidly coupled to the at least one conduit;

a pressure sensor to detect a pressure indicative of gas pressure in the container; and

a controller arranged to determine a volume of beverage in the container based on a change in pressure measured by the pressure sensor over a time period that pressurized gas is delivered to the container from the source of pressurized gas or over a time period that beverage is dispensed from the container.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the source of pressurized gas includes a pressure regulator to regulate a pressure of gas provided to the at least one conduit.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller is arranged to control delivery of pressurized gas to the container during dispensing of beverage based on the volume of beverage in the container.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one valve includes a valve to control flow between the source of pressurized gas and the at least one conduit.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the pressure sensor detects pressure in a flow path between the source of pressurized gas and the at least one conduit.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller is arranged to receive information regarding an identity of a container to which the system is mounted, and wherein the controller is arranged to store an amount of beverage in the container.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller is arranged to determine an amount of beverage remaining in the container during dispensing based on an amount of gas delivered to the container.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the controller is arranged to determine an amount of gas delivered to the container based on a time that a valve is open to deliver pressurized gas to the container.

35. A container-mounted beverage dispensing system, comprising:

at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing in a user'"'"'s cup;

at least one valve to control gas flow into the container via the at least one conduit;

a gas cylinder fluidly coupled to the at least one conduit; and

a controller arranged to determine a pressure in the gas cylinder based on an amount of time that the at least one valve is open to deliver gas into the at least one container.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising a pressure sensor to detect a pressure indicative of gas pressure in the container, and wherein the controller is arranged to determine a pressure in the gas cylinder based on an amount of time that the at least one valve is open to deliver gas into the at least one container and a gas pressure in the container.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the at least one valve includes a gas valve arranged to control flow of gas between the gas cylinder and the at least one conduit, and a beverage valve arranged to control flow of beverage between the at least one conduit and a beverage outlet.