Gas recovery systems for beverage dispensing
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system, the gas recovery system comprising:
- means for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container;
a compressor downstream of said at least partially used beverage container;
a gas separator downstream of said compressor;
a gas storage vessel downstream of said gas separator;
a foam on beer valve; and
a controller, wherein upon receiving a signal from the foam on beer valve that the at least partially used keg is fully used, the controller orders a gas recovery cycle to begin,wherein in use the gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container and to separate said gas into component gases by passing said gas through said gas separator, and to selectively direct at least one of the separated component gases to said gas storage vessel, andwherein upon completion of the gas recovery cycle from the at least partially used beverage container the at least partially used beverage container is automatically re-pressurised.
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Abstract
A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system is provided. The system includes a mechanism for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container, a compressor downstream of the at least partially used beverage container, a gas separator downstream of the compressor, and a gas storage vessel downstream of the gas separator. The gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container, to separate the gas into component gases by passing the gas through the gas separator, and to selectively direct at least one of the separated component gases to the gas storage vessel.
31 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system, the gas recovery system comprising:
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means for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container; a compressor downstream of said at least partially used beverage container; a gas separator downstream of said compressor; a gas storage vessel downstream of said gas separator; a foam on beer valve; and a controller, wherein upon receiving a signal from the foam on beer valve that the at least partially used keg is fully used, the controller orders a gas recovery cycle to begin, wherein in use the gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container and to separate said gas into component gases by passing said gas through said gas separator, and to selectively direct at least one of the separated component gases to said gas storage vessel, and wherein upon completion of the gas recovery cycle from the at least partially used beverage container the at least partially used beverage container is automatically re-pressurised. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system, the gas recovery system comprising:
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means for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container; a compressor downstream of said at least partially used beverage container; a gas separator downstream of said compressor, a gas storage vessel downstream of said gas separator, a foam on beer valve; and wherein in use the gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container and to separate said gas into component gases by passing said gas through said gas separator, and to selectively direct at least one of the separated component gases to said gas storage vessel, and wherein the foam on beer valve comprises;
a housing defining a chamber;a channel positioned at a base of said chamber to allow for dispense of beverage; a float disposed within said chamber to selectively close the channel; the foam on beer valve further comprising an isolation control valve to isolate the foam on beer valve. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system, the gas recovery system comprising:
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means for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container; a compressor downstream of said at least partially used beverage container; a gas separator downstream of said compressor; a gas storage vessel downstream of said gas separator; a gas blending unit downstream of said gas storage vessel for blending the separated gases to a required composition of gases; and a pressure reducing valve between said gas storage vessel and said gas blending unit, wherein in use the gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container and to separate said gas into component gases by passing said gas through said gas separator, and to selectively direct at least one of the separated component gases to said gas storage vessel. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A liquid dispensing system for dispensing liquids from a beverage container, the system comprising:
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two or more beverage containers operably coupled to a dispense assembly enabling simultaneous dispensing of liquid from the two or more beverage containers, each of the two or more beverage containers having an associated detector for detecting at least partial use of the associated beverage container; an exhaust gas removal assembly allowing removal of at least some gas from the beverage container which is detected as being at least partially used; and an indicator to inform an operator that the at least partially used container is ready for removal and replacement within the liquid dispensing system, wherein the system is configured to recover gas from the at least partially used liquid container without removing the at least partially used beverage container from the beverage dispensing system. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A gas recovery system for a beverage dispensing system, the gas recovery system comprising:
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means for drawing gas from an at least partially used beverage container; a compressor downstream of said at least partially used beverage container; a gas separator downstream of said compressor; a foam on beer valve; and wherein in use the gas recovery system is configured to draw gas from the at least partially used beverage container and to separate said gas into component gases by passing said gas through said gas separator, and wherein the foam on beer valve comprises;
a housing defining a chamber;a channel positioned at a base of said chamber to allow for dispense of beverage; a float disposed within said chamber to selectively close the channel; the foam on beer valve further comprising an isolation control valve to isolate the foam on beer valve.
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Specification