Beverage dispensing assembly
First Claim
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1. A system for dispensing servings of a beverage charged with a gas, the system comprising:
- a bottle assembly including a bottle and a cap assembly, the bottle including a neck defining an outlet and containing multiple servings of a beverage, the cap assembly including a cap configured to attach onto the neck of the bottle to close the bottle, a sealed pressurized gas cartridge received in the cap, a beverage valve in the cap for allowing beverage to leave the bottle and a gas valve for allowing pressurized gas to enter the bottle; and
a dispensing assembly, separable from the bottle assembly and disposed to receive and cooperate with the bottle assembly to dispense the beverage from the bottle, the dispensing assembly including a housing that receives the bottle and the cap assembly, a piercing pin arranged in the housing to pierce the pressurized gas cartridge in the cap upon insertion of the bottle assembly into the housing, a spout in fluid communication with the beverage valve for dispensing fluid from the bottle, and a pressure regulator in fluid communication with the pressurized gas cartridge and the gas valve, the pressure regulator including a regulating valve assembly for receiving pressurized gas from the pierced pressurized gas cartridge and delivering pressurized gas back through the cap to the bottle through the gas valve through an inlet passage spaced from an outer surface of the cap assembly and the gas cartridge whereby contaminants therefrom are avoided from being translated into the beverage.
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Abstract
A beverage dispensing assembly that is capable of dispensing controlled or metered portions of a beverage charged with a gas fits onto a shelf in a conventional household refrigerator. The beverage dispensing assembly includes a sealed disposable container assembly that contains the beverage and a dispensing assembly that cooperates with the container assembly to selectively unseal the container assembly and dispense controlled portions of the beverage from the container assembly.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for dispensing servings of a beverage charged with a gas, the system comprising:
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a bottle assembly including a bottle and a cap assembly, the bottle including a neck defining an outlet and containing multiple servings of a beverage, the cap assembly including a cap configured to attach onto the neck of the bottle to close the bottle, a sealed pressurized gas cartridge received in the cap, a beverage valve in the cap for allowing beverage to leave the bottle and a gas valve for allowing pressurized gas to enter the bottle; and a dispensing assembly, separable from the bottle assembly and disposed to receive and cooperate with the bottle assembly to dispense the beverage from the bottle, the dispensing assembly including a housing that receives the bottle and the cap assembly, a piercing pin arranged in the housing to pierce the pressurized gas cartridge in the cap upon insertion of the bottle assembly into the housing, a spout in fluid communication with the beverage valve for dispensing fluid from the bottle, and a pressure regulator in fluid communication with the pressurized gas cartridge and the gas valve, the pressure regulator including a regulating valve assembly for receiving pressurized gas from the pierced pressurized gas cartridge and delivering pressurized gas back through the cap to the bottle through the gas valve through an inlet passage spaced from an outer surface of the cap assembly and the gas cartridge whereby contaminants therefrom are avoided from being translated into the beverage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A disposable container assembly for use with a dispensing assembly that dispenses beverage under pressure, the assembly comprising:
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a sealed disposable bottle including a gas inlet and a beverage outlet; a sealed pressurized gas cartridge received in the bottle and arranged to be pierced by a separable dispensing assembly when the bottle is loaded into the dispensing assembly; a first plug blocking a passage in communication with the beverage outlet, the first plug precluding the egress of beverage from the bottle when in a closed position and allowing the egress of beverage from the bottle when in an open position; a second plug blocking a passage in communication with the gas inlet , the second plug precluding the egress of beverage from the bottle when in a closed position and allowing the ingress of gas into the bottle when in the open position, the ingress being through an inlet passage spaced from outer surfaces of the container assembly and the gas cartridge whereby contaminants therefrom are avoided from being translated into the beverage; and a pressure regulator disposed in the dispensing assembly for regulating gas pressure to the bottle through a regulating valve assembly whereby sanitary pressurized gas is communicated from the cartridge, through the dispensing assembly and back to the bottle. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A beverage dispensing assembly comprising:
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a container having an externally threaded neck and an internal volume; beer in the internal volume of the container; a cap threaded onto the container; a beverage outlet passage in the cap; a dip tube extending into the internal volume of the container and in fluid communication with the beverage outlet passage; a pressurized gas inlet passage in the cap; a regulator including a regulating valve assembly disposed in a separable housing from the container in fluid communication with the pressurized gas inlet and located externally of the internal volume of the container; a gas cartridge disposed in the cap and in fluid communication with the regulator, wherein pressurized gas exits the gas cartridge at a first pressure and enters the regulator, wherein pressurized gas exits the regulator and enters the pressurized gas inlet passage at a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure, and wherein the pressurized gas at the second pressure enters the internal volume of the container through the pressurized gas inlet passage in the cap to propel the beer through the beverage outlet passage through an inlet passage way spaced from an outer surface of the gas cartridge whereby contaminants therefrom are avoided from being translated into the beverage; a beverage valve assembly in fluid communication with the dip tube and the beverage outlet passage operable in an open position and in a closed position, the beverage valve assembly prohibiting flow through the beverage outlet passage when in the closed position; a movable beverage valve actuator in the beverage outlet passage; and
,a tap handle operatively connected with the movable beverage valve actuator, wherein rotation of the tap handle results in movement of the beverage valve actuator to place the beverage valve assembly in an open position to dispense the beer through the beverage outlet passage. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification