Beverage carbonation device

• US 4,458,584 A
• Filed: 02/22/1983
• Issued: 07/10/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Food Corporation (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Food Corporation (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Colwell, Dennis J., Basile, Peter A., Shoaf, Myron D., Annese, Clara Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Jenkins, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US06/468,236
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 99/323.1, 99/323.2, 99/275, 261/DIG. 7, 261/121 R, 261/18 R, 426/591, 426/561, 426/477, 426/78, 426/86, 220/23
• US Class Current: 99/323.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 21/20 using flow mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/236 specially adapted for aerating or carbonating beverages
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2366 Parts; Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/07 Carbonators

Abstract

A substantially salt-free carbonated beverage is produced using a pressurizable container comprising a carbonation chamber having an upper compartment for holding the chemical reactants, a means for separating gaseous carbon dioxide and solid or liquid reaction by-products and a lower compartment having a bottom sparger surface for releasing, as uniformly small bubbles, the generated carbon dioxide into a liquid to be carbonated. The separation means and sparger surface function to retain the chemical by-products of the reaction from the carbonated beverage.

Claims

1. A pressurizable container for preparing therein a carbonated beverage from a water-based liquid and carbon dioxide generating chemical reactants designed to rapidly carbonate the liquid and minimize transfer to the liquid of the resultant products of the chemical reaction, comprising:

a. a wide mouth bottle having an opening at the top thereof therein providing access to the contents thereof;

b. a carbonation chamber, insertable into said opening in the wide mouth bottle for holding therein the chemical reactants and for substantially isolating the resultant chemical products of the chemical reaction to prevent their adversely affecting the palatability of the beverage, said chamber having upper and lower compartments formed in said carbonation chamber, with a separating wall therebetween, and a tubular passageway centrally positioned in said separating wall and extending therethrough, said upper compartment for holding therein the chemical couple and a quantity of water to promote the reaction and said lower compartment having a bottom sparger surface for releasing the generated carbon dioxide into a beverage in the container, said sparger having controlled porosity to provide a first rapid flow of large bubbles through the liquid and a second moderate flow of small bubbles which rapidly carbonate the liquid and means for preventing the transfer from the upper to the lower compartment of the resultant chemical products while allowing a transfer of carbon dioxide to carbonate the beverage.

2. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 1, said container having a cylindrically shaped neck with said circular opening and said carbonation chamber being cylindrically shaped to fit snugly within said cylindrical neck.

3. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, including a closure for engaging and sealing the access opening of the container with said rim therebetween, said closure having a centrally positioned tubular member depending therefrom which has a diameter to fit snugly within said tubular passageway upon tightening of the closure onto the beverage container, an O-ring provided around said tubular member to form a seal relative to the tubular passageway, and said preventing means including a plurality of gas communicating apertures provided through said tubular member above the upper end of said tubular passageway to allow carbon dioxide to pass from the upper chamber through the gas communicating apertures into said tubular member and then into said lower chamber to carbonate a beverage in the container while preventing the passage therethrough of resultant chemical products.

4. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 3, said preventing means further including a one-way valve positioned at the lower end of said tubular member to also prevent the passage therethrough of resultant chemical products.

5. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 4, said closure having a flat top to provide a stable base for the covered container when it is placed in an inverted position, said closure designed to provide rapid wetting of reactant in a confined reaction area to accelerate initial head space pressurization.

6. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 5, said container and closure both being threaded for engagement with each other.

7. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 6, including a vent valve provided in said closure to allow venting of excessive carbon dioxide from the interior of the pressurized container prior to disengagement of the closure from the container.

8. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said bottom sparger surface releases carbon dioxide therethrough, as uniformly small bubbles to carbonate a beverage within the container.

9. A pressurizable container as claimed in claim 8 wherein said bottom sparger surface has pores which are less than 10 microns in diameter.