Patent Application
20150129617
The present invention concerns beverage dispensing units for dispensing a beverage, typically a carbonated beverage like beer, from a pressurized container through a dispensing tube and a dispensing tap. In particular, it concerns a beverage dispensing unit allowing a highly simplified loading and unloading of a dispensing line.
Draught beer is often preferred by consumers to bottled or canned beer. Draught beer is generally served at the counter of a public house out of a refrigerated keg provided with a fluid connection to a source of pressurized gas for driving the dispensing of the beer through a dispensing line fluidly connecting the keg to a dispensing tap, comprising a valve for controlling the flow out of said tap. In case of a temporary social event outside a public house, such as an outdoor event, wedding party, fair and the like, consumers like to be offered draught beer for consumption. Furthermore, above a critical volume of consumption, serving bottled or canned beer would be too expensive and would generate too much waste. For these reasons, roving or mobile beverage dispensing units, offering the same quality of beer as a draught beer served at a public house, were developed and brought to the market. They are designed to accommodate a keg or container containing the beer, with a source of pressurized gas, such as a pressure gas bottle or a compressor. The containers used can be traditional metal kegs as used in public houses, possibly but not necessarily of smaller dimensions, or can include so called bag-in-containers as disclosed e.g., in EP2146832, EP2148770, EP2148771, EP2152494 and the like.
For example, US2004/0226967 proposes a dispensing unit comprising a cooling chamber suitable for accommodating and cooling a beer keg, a hollow column supported on said cooling chamber and a dispensing head comprising a tap valve. A source of pressurized gas, such as a compressor or a CO2 cartridge is provided for ensuring the necessary pressure for driving the beer flow out of the keg. A dispensing tube fluidly connects the keg to the tap valve. For reasons of hygiene, the dispensing tube is disposable and must be changed with each new keg. In one embodiment, the dispensing line is even permanently coupled to the keg to ensure that it will not be used a second time. Upon use, a new keg can be installed into the cooling chamber, and fluidly connected to a source of pressurized gas, generally located in the same chamber. The dispensing line is either permanently coupled to the keg or must be coupled thereto, before it is run through a channel defined in the hollow column until the dispensing tube outlet reaches the dispensing head of the column and is engaged into the tap valve mechanism. This “bottom-up” insertion system, wherein the dispensing tube is installed starting from the keg (located at the bottom) all the way up to the dispensing head (located at the top) requires that the dispensing line be provided with a shut-off valve to prevent the flow of beer out of the keg before the dispensing line is in place in the tap valve. It is clear that providing a shut-off valve to a disposable tube increases substantially the cost of use of the system. Furthermore, it can be quite cumbersome to drive up a flexible dispensing line through the hollow column which outlet to the cooling chamber is positioned at the back thereof and can easily be appreciated when looking e.g., at FIG. 2 of US2004/0226967.
In order to facilitate the engagement of the dispensing tube into the tap valve, a rather critical operation which is difficult to control from the interior of the cooling chamber, WO2009/115928 suggests to allow the opening of the dispensing head so that the dispensing tube outlet emerging from the opening at the top of the column can be handled from outside the cooling chamber and engaged more comfortably into the tap valve mechanism.
EP1982952 extends the idea of allowing the opening of the column to the entire length thereof. This solution greatly simplifies the “bottom-up” installation of the dispensing tube since it needs only be passed from the interior to the exterior of the cooling chamber through a short channel crossing the top board of the cooling chamber before it can be handled from outside the cooling chamber, instead of having to drive it from the inside of the cooling chamber all the way up to the dispensing head.
In spite of the various solutions proposed to simplify it, the “bottom-up” installation of a disposable dispensing tube remains cumbersome since the user must crouch and engage the head and shoulders into the cooling chamber to access the opening connecting the cooling chamber to the dispensing column inner channel, push up the flexible tube either all the way up to the dispensing head like in US2004/0226967, or only until the outlet of the tube reaches the opening in the column as in WO2009/115928 and in EP1982952, at which point it must be grabbed from the outside before it falls back all the way down into the cooling chamber. Since this operation must be repeated with each new keg installed into the cooling chamber, if the installation of the tube is too uncomfortable, users may become reluctant to use such roving beverage dispensing unit.
The change of dispensing tube with every new keg remains a rather delicate operation, often to be performed in the dark, in noisy and crowded environment, and also in stressful conditions. The present invention proposes a solution to greatly simplify the loading of a new dispensing tube into a tapping column to bring the dispensing unit into operational condition whenever a new keg is loaded.
The present invention is defined in the appended independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. In particular, the present invention concerns a kit of parts for dispensing a beverage out of a pressurized container, comprising:
Characterized in that, said column comprises means for opening a portion of the channel spanning from some point of the elongated portion up to and including a portion of the elbow and the pinch valve, such that the first and second jaws can be separated from one another by a distance substantially larger than the one corresponding to the open position, d1. By separating the first and second jaws from one another upon opening a portion of the column, not only the insertion of a new dispensing tube into the channel is rendered easier, but also the engagement of the dispensing tube end between the jaws of the pinch valve is greatly facilitated compared with having to introduce the end of the dispensing tube through the thin gap, d1, left between the jaws in open position as is the case with existing dispensing units.
The opening means advantageously comprise a movable panel fixed to the column with fixing means, such as hinges, which, in closed position, covers an opening of the channel extending from said fixing means to at least the valve head and, in open position, exposes said opening to the user.
In a preferred embodiment, the inlet end of the dispensing line is such that it can be run through the channel and support plate opening from the top to the bottom surfaces thereof, and the outlet end thereof can be engaged between the first and second jaws (3a, 3b) of the pinch valve (3) upon closing the channel portion including the pinch valve.
For preventing that by accidentally opening the opening means the jaws get separated from one another whilst the dispensing tube is connected to a pressurized vessel containing liquid, so that said liquid freely and uncontrollably flows out of the unpinched dispensing tube, it is preferred that the opening means comprise safety means designed such that:
The connecting means of the dispensing line preferably comprise at least one of a bayonet, a threaded nut, a pin, preferably with a safety feature, a resilient snap-fit to sealingly couple the dispensing line to the mouth of a container and to bring it in fluid communication with the interior of the container.
The openable portion of the channel preferably spans over at least 50% of the total length of the elongated portion of the column, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 85%. In a preferred embodiment, the tapping head enclosing the pinch valve comprises two half shells hinged together such that the tapping head can be opened to separate the two jaws from one another by a distance greater than, d1.
The support plate can be the top of a shallow housing containing a source of pressurized gas connected to the inlet of a second, pressure line, an outlet thereof comprising connecting means for coupling said inlet end to said container containing a liquid to be dispensed. The height of said housing should not be more than 250 mm, preferably not more than 200 mm, more preferably not more than 150 mm, most preferably not more than 100 mm, such that it may conveniently be used on top of worktop such as a traditional pub or kitchen counter,
Alternatively, the support plate can close the top of a cooled compartment comprising refrigerating means, means for holding said container and, preferably, a source of pressurized gas connected to the inlet of a second, pressure line, an outlet thereof comprising connecting means for coupling said outlet end to said container containing a liquid to be dispensed. Such embodiment forms a stand-alone, roving dispensing device, which preferably comprises means for easily displacing the tapping unit from one place to the other, such as wheels.
In both foregoing embodiments, the source of pressurized gas can be a container containing pressurized gas, a gas compressor, gas adsorbed on a solid carrier, such as a zeolite, gas from the net, or any combination thereof.
The dispensing unit described above is suitable for use with:
The dispensing unit described above is most suitable for dispensing a beverage such as beer, carbonated malt based beverages, e.g., non alcoholic beer, or cider.
For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
As illustrated in
Dispensing units according to the present invention are particularly suitable for dispensing beer and beer like beverages (i.e., comprising malt), cider, and any other ready to dispense beverages. The dispensing units of the present invention distinguish themselves from soda dispensers wherein a source of carbonated water is mixed with a concentrated syrupy composition prior to flowing out of a tap. The use of a pump for pumping the beverage out of the outlet of the dispensing tube, as described e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,487, is not envisaged as it makes a noise not to be associated with the serving conditions encountered in a public house, and in particular, driving beer through a pump is not compatible with the foam forming conditions required in a beer or beer like beverage. The dispensing of beverage in units according to the present invention is driven by the higher pressure reigning in the container compared with ambient. The high pressure in the container is achieved by bringing a source of pressurized gas (7) in fluid communication with the interior of the container (8) by a pressure tube (6). The source of pressurized gas (7) can be a pressurized bottle or cartridge, a connection to the net or a compressor, or any combination thereof. In the latter case, the beverage never contacts any element of the pump. This is used solely for increasing the pressure inside the container. In special kegs, containing an adsorbent carrier such as a zeolite or carbon black, it is possible to store the pressurizing gas in the container itself, adsorbed on said solid carrier as described, e.g., in WO02/014210, U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,158, WO2009/142977, U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,000; WO2006/086932, WO2008/014210, and EP application number EP11162787.
The container (8) which can be a standard metal keg or any container as revised in the Background Art section, in particular a bag-in-container, can be loaded inside a compartment or chamber comprising refrigerating means (12) for cooling the interior of the compartment. The cooling chamber can be integrated in the unit to form a stand-alone roving dispensing unit as illustrated in
The dispensing unit of the present invention comprises a dispensing tube (4) which must be at least partially flexible and comprises a first, inlet end and a second, outlet end (4a). The terms “inlet” and “outlet” refer to the flow direction when the dispensing tube (4) is in operating position and in use. The dispensing tube (4) must be at least partially flexible in that, it must be suitable for following any curve of the inner channel (2) of the tapping column (1), and in particular the elbow at the top end thereof. The outlet end of the dispensing tube (4) must be engaged into a tapping valve suitable for controlling the flow of liquid out of the tube. In the present invention, the valve located in the valve head (3) of the tapping column (1) is a pinch valve comprising first and second jaws (3a, 3b) suitable, as illustrated in
When using the dispensing unit for the first time, or when using a new keg, a new dispensing tube (4) should be used for hygienic reasons and loaded in the unit to bring the liquid content of the new keg in fluid communication with the tapping valve head. Most tapping units require the dispensing tube to be introduced from below the support plate, through the opening and all the way up the channel until it reaches the valve head (3) and the outlet of the channel. This “bottom-up” loading method is often quite cumbersome and could lead a lazy user to re-use a dispensing line (4) several times by connecting the same line to several new kegs, thus increasing the risk of bacteriological contamination. US2004/0226967 discloses a container which is permanently connected to the dispensing tube, so that when a keg is empty it cannot be removed without removing at the same time the dispensing line (4). This of course forces a lazy user to change dispensing tube with each new keg, but it does not render the loading of the dispensing line through the channel of the column any easier. This is therefore not considered as an optimal solution.
For this reason, it is preferred that the dispensing column is such that the dispensing tube can be introduced in a “top-down” sequence, which is much easier to control than a “bottom-up” sequence. In other words, it is preferred that the inlet end of a dispensing tube including the connecting means (5) for fluidly connecting the tube with the interior of a keg can be introduced from the tapping column top end, preferably through the tapping valve head held in open position, all the way down below the support plate whence it can be led and connected to a new keg. The first inlet end of the dispensing tube, however, is provided with connecting means (5), generally larger in size than the cross-section of the dispensing line and used for connecting said inlet end to the container thus bringing the liquid contained in the container in fluid communication with the outlet end of the dispensing line. In a preferred embodiment, the connecting means (5) provide a releasable coupling to the container, such as by means of a bayonet, a threaded nut, a pin, preferably with a safety feature like a ring provided at one end thereof, and the like. In an alternative embodiment, the coupling obtained with the connecting means (5) to the container is permanent, such as with a resilient snap-fit. This solution offers the same advantage as the dispensing tube permanently connected to a container disclosed in US2004/0226967, in that when a keg is empty it cannot be removed without removing at the same time the dispensing line (4), so that a new dispensing line (4) must necessarily be mounted with the next keg, which ensures the hygienic conditions of the unit. By contrast with a dispensing tube permanently attached to the keg, the present invention using a snap-fit connecting means allows a friendlier “top-down” insertion of the dispensing tube.
Two conditions are required for allowing a top-down loading mode:
Both of the foregoing requirements are fulfilled by the present invention, by providing the column (1) with means (1b) for opening a portion of the channel (2) spanning from some point of the elongated portion up to and including a portion of the elbow and the pinch valve, such that the first and second jaws (3a, 3b) can be separated from one another by a distance substantially larger than the one corresponding to the open position, d1.
c)&(d) illustrate an alternative embodiment, wherein the tapping valve head (3) as a whole remains coupled to either a hinged panel (1b) (cf.
The main advantage of the dispensing units according to the present invention is that a new dispensing tube (4) can be introduced very easily both in a “top-down” sequence, from the top of the tapping column (1) through the inner channel (2) all the way down to the container where the inlet of the dispensing tube can be coupled to the mouth thereof by means of the connecting means (5), as well as in a more traditional, albeit cumbersome, “bottom-up” sequence, wherein the dispensing tube is run from beneath the support plate (11), up the channel and in between the jaws (3a, 3b) of the pinch valve with plenty of room and access for handling the tube.
To avoid that liquid would spill uncontrollably out of the dispensing tube in case the channel should inadvertently or accidentally be opened, the column of the dispensing unit according to the present invention can be provided with safety means (1a). In particular, as illustrated in
In
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12166357.9 | May 2012 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2013/058690 | 4/26/2013 | WO | 00 |
