Beverage dispensing apparatus

• US 6,766,656 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Beverage Works, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Beverage Works, Inc.
• Inventors: Duff, Todd Erik, Crisp, Harry Lee III
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischetti, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US10/007,419
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 222/146.6, 222/129.1, 222/325, 222/399, 222/61, 222/129, 700/231, 700/233, 700/239, 700/240, 623/89, 624/00, 623/90
• US Class Current: 62/389
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0021 the components being mixed at the time of dispensing, i.e. post-mix dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0057 Carbonators
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0858 using compression systems
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/082 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00036 for use with or in refrigerators
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/0006 Manifolds
• 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: F25D 23/126 Water cooler
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2323/023 Door in door constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/803 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/06 Refrigerators with a vertical mullion
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

The present invention provides a beverage dispensing apparatus for a residential refrigerator. The beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention includes a drink supplier including a drink supply canister holder for holding a plurality of drink supply canisters, a plurality of valve actuators for causing the drink supply to be selectively released from the drink supply canisters, a water supplier for selectively supplying carbonated water and non-carbonated water for producing the beverages, a gas supplier for supplying CO₂ gas to carbonate the carbonated water provided by the water supplier and for supplying CO₂ gas or other gas for pressurizing the drink supply canisters to provide a consistent flow rate of the drink supply from the drink supply canisters, and one or more beverage requesters for enabling users to request one of a plurality of beverages.

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing apparatus comprising:

a refrigerator;

a drink supplier mounted in the refrigerator, said drink supplier adapted to selectively dispense drink supply into a beverage collector from one of a plurality of drink supply canisters removably received by the drink supplier, each of the drink supply canisters having a drink supply discharge end;

a water supplier mounted in the refrigerator adjacent to the drink supplier, said water supplier including a plurality of water rings connected to a carbonated water line and a non-carbonated water line each of the water rings defining a generally central aperture, a plurality of orifices formed in each of said water rings and disposed about the generally central aperture of each said ring, each of said water rings being positioned at or below the drink supply discharge end of one of the drink supply canisters, wherein said water supplier is adapted to selectively direct carbonated water from said carbonated water line and non-carbonated water from said non-carbonated water line through the orifices of one of said plurality of water rings into the beverage collector; and

at least one beverage requester connected to the water supplier and the drink supplier, the beverage requester operable to cause drink supply to flow from at least one of the drink supply outlet valves, through air and through the generally central aperture of one of the water rings.

2. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the water supplier includes a carbonated water valve connected between each water ring and the carbonated water line and a non-carbonated valve connected between each water ring and the non-carbonated water line.

3. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 2, wherein each water ring has a shape selected from the group consisting of a circular shape and a semi-circular shape.

4. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the orifices of each of said water rings are adapted to dispense the carbonated water and non-carbonated water.

5. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drink supplier includes a drink supply canister holder mounted in the refrigerator and adapted to removably receive the plurality of drink supply canisters.

6. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the drink supply canister holder includes a drink supply canister securing member.

7. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the drink supply canister holder includes a plurality of independent drink supply canister compartments.

8. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, which includes a CO₂ gas supplier mounted in the refrigerator and connected to the water supplier to form the carbonated water.

9. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the water supplier includes a carbonation tank connected to the CO₂ gas supplier.

10. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the CO₂ gas supplier is connected to the drink supplier to pressurize the drink supply canisters.

11. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the water rings includes a plurality of water injectors located at the orifices.

12. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beverage requester includes a request indicator for each drink supply canister.

13. The beverage dispensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beverage requester includes a user interface screen.