Portable dispensing system

• US 5,199,609 A
• Filed: 09/11/1991
• Issued: 04/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William O. Ash Jr
• Original Assignee: William O. Ash Jr
• Inventors: Ash, William O. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Derakshani, Philippe
• Application Number:
  US07/758,898
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 222/94, 222/105, 222/131, 222/175, 222/183, 222/325, 222/386.5, 222/394, 222/399, 222/400.7, 222/401, 222/402.1, 222/396, 222/529, 222/530, 224/148, 141/21, 141/63, 141/64, 141/48, 141/114
• US Class Current: 222/94
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0406 with means for carbonating the beverage, or for maintaining its carbonation B67D1/0418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00131 wearable by a person, e.g. as a backpack or helmet

Abstract

A portable beverage dispenser system is housed within a rigid back pack transported on the back of a vendor. A beverage dispensing container, dispensing hose, and a pressurized gas container is housed within the back pack. The beverage dispensing container has a rigid wall surrounded by a flexible thermally insulating and cushioning jacket and an access opening at the top end of the dispensing container receives a removable flexible liner. A releasably locked closure lid is removably mounted within the access opening and has a gas fill valve and liquid fill and dispensing valve thereon with passages extending through the closure. The flexible liner is inserted into and withdrawn from the dispensing container in a collapsed condition and substantially conforms to the shape of the interior of the container in an installed liquid filled condition. The liner has an open end releasably engaged on the lid closure and forms a fluid pressure sealed envelope for containing the liquid beverage and the pressurized gas. The pressurized gas container is connected to the gas fill valve to maintain pressurization of the liquid in the dispensing container, and the dispensing hose is connected at one end to the liquid fill and dispensing valve and has a manually operable dispensing valve at the other end for dispensing the pressurized liquid.

Claims

1. A portable liquid beverage dispensing system comprising;

a beverage container having a rigid wall and an access opening at one end thereof surrounded by a peripheral flange dimensioned to accommodate insertion and withdrawal of a flexible liner in a collapsed condition,

a flexible thermally insulating and cushioning jacket closely surrounding the exterior of the rigid wall of said beverage container,

a releasably locked closure lid removably and sealingly mounted within said beverage container opening and having a peripheral flange configured to engage said container flange and manually moveable lock means thereon to releasably clamp said flanges together and gas filling valve means and liquid filling and dispensing valve means on said lid with respective sealed gas and liquid passages extending through said lid,

a removable gas and liquid impermeable flexible liner dimensioned to be inserted into and withdrawn from said beverage container in a collapsed condition to be filled with a liquid and substantially conform to the shape of the interior of said beverage container in an installed liquid filled condition,

said liner having an open end surrounded by a seal element releasably engaged in fluid sealing relation between said container flange and said lid flange in the clamped condition to form a fluid pressure sealed envelope for containing a liquid beverage and the respective gas and liquid passages extending through said closure lid being positioned within the interior of the pressure sealed envelope,

a pressurized gas container containing gas under pressure operatively connected to said gas filling valve means on said closure lid to effect pressurization of a liquid contained within said liner,

a pressure relief valve mounted on said closure lid with a sealed passage extending through said lid in fluid communication with the interior of the pressure sealed envelope for relieving excess pressure in said liner, and

a flexible hose having a thermally insulated outer covering operatively connected at one end to said liquid filling and dispensing valve means on said closure lid and a selectively operable liquid dispensing valve at its opposite end for dispensing the pressurized liquid from said liner.

2. The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1 in which

said thermally insulating and cushioning jacket surrounding said beverage container rigid wall comprises a thermally insulating foam layer and an outer flexible cover.

3. The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1 in which

said flexible hose thermally insulating outer covering comprises a layer of thermally insulating foam surrounded by an outer flexible cover.

4. The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1 in which

said seal element is a resilient O-ring seal at the open end of said liner disposed between said flanges for effecting a fluid sealing relation between said flanges and said liner.

5. The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1 in which

said seal element is a resilient annular seal integrally formed at the open end of said liner configured to be engaged between said flanges for effecting a fluid sealing relation between said flanges and said liner.

6. The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1 including;

a back pack adapted to be supported on a body harness worn by a vendor and having a central storage compartment,

said beverage container and said pressurized gas container are removably received and carried within said central storage compartment, and

said flexible hose is movable between a stored position entirely within said central storage compartment and an extended dispensing position extending outwardly from said central storage compartment.

7. A portable beverage dispensing system carried on the body of a person for dispensing beverages comprising;

a back pack adapted to be supported on a body harness worn by a person and having a central storage compartment,

a beverage container removably received in said central storage compartment and having a rigid wall surrounded by a flexible thermally insulating and cushioning jacket and an access opening at one end thereof surrounded by a peripheral flange dimensioned to accommodate insertion and withdrawal of a flexible liner in a collapsed condition,

a releasably locked closure lid removably and sealingly mounted within said beverage container opening and having a peripheral flange configured to engage said container flange and manually moveable lock means thereon to releasably clamp said flanges together and gas filling valve means and liquid filling and dispensing valve means on said lid with respective sealed gas and liquid passages extending through said lid,

a removable gas and liquid impermeable flexible liner dimensioned to be inserted into and withdrawn from said beverage container in a collapsed condition to be filled with a liquid and substantially conform to the shape of the interior of said beverage container in an installed liquid filled condition,

said liner having an open end surrounded by a seal element releasably engaged in fluid sealing relation between said container flange and said lid flange in the clamped condition to form a fluid pressure sealed envelope for containing a liquid beverage and the respective gas and liquid passages extending through said closure lid being positioned within the interior of the pressure sealed envelope,

a pressurized gas container containing gas under pressure removably received in said central compartment and operatively connected to said gas filling valve means on said closure lid to effect pressurization of a liquid contained within said liner,

a pressure relief valve mounted on said closure lid with a sealed passage extending through said lid in fluid communication with the interior of the pressure sealed envelope for relieving excess pressure in said liner, and

a flexible hose having a thermally insulated outer covering removably received in said central compartment and operatively connected at one end to said liquid filling and dispensing valve means on said closure lid and a selectively operable liquid dispensing valve at its opposite end for dispensing the pressurized liquid from said liner.

8. The portable beverage dispensing system according to claim 7 in which

said liquid dispensing means is movable between a stored position entirely within said central storage compartment and an extended dispensing position extending outwardly from said central storage compartment.

9. The portable beverage dispensing system according to claim 7 in which

said thermally insulating and cushioning jacket surrounding said beverage container rigid wall comprises a thermally insulating foam layer and an outer flexible cover.

10. The portable beverage dispensing system according to claim 7 in which

said flexible hose thermally insulating outer covering comprises a layer of thermally insulating foam surrounded by an outer flexible cover.

11. The portable beverage dispensing system according to claim 7 in which

said seal element is a resilient O-ring seal at the open end of said liner disposed between said flanges for effecting a fluid sealing relation between said flanges and said liner.

12. The portable beverage dispensing system according to claim 7 in which

said seal element is a resilient annular seal integrally formed at the open end of said liner configured to be engaged between said flanges for effecting a fluid sealing relation between said flanges and said liner.

13. In a liquid beverage dispensing container having a rigid wall and an access opening at one end thereof surrounded by a peripheral flange, a lid having a corresponding peripheral flange configured to be removably received within the beverage container opening, clamping means operatively connected between the container and lid to engage the container flange and lid flange in a releasably clamped condition, and fittings on the lid for connecting the interior of the container in fluid communication with gas filling means and liquid filling and dispensing means;

a gas and liquid impermeable flexible liner dimensioned to be inserted into and withdrawn from said beverage container in a collapsed condition to be filled with a liquid and substantially conform to the shape of the interior of said beverage container in an installed liquid filled condition,

said liner having an open end surrounded by a seal element releasably engaged on said lid flange to maintain said liner thereon during insertion and removal and to become engaged in fluid sealing relation between said container flange and said lid flange in the clamped condition to form a fluid pressure sealed envelope for containing a liquid beverage, whereby

said lid and said liner assembly may be inserted and withdrawn from said container as a single unit and said liner in the installed condition filled with a liquid beverage of one type and after depletion of the liquid beverage, said liner may be refilled with a liquid beverage of the same type, or

another said lid and said liner assembly may be installed in the same container from which the previous assembly was removed and filled with a liquid beverage of another type without requiring cleaning of said beverage dispensing container when switching from one beverage to another.