The present invention relates to a carbonation device that is particularly, but not exclusively, useful and practical for carrying out the carbonation of water, mainly of mineral water, or other liquids.

The carbonation of water is performed by adding to the water, which is contained in an adapted container, typically a bottle, a variable quantity of gas, in particular of carbon dioxide (C0 ₂ ), as a function of the degree of fizziness that it is desired to obtain, by way of a process called carbonation.

The operation of carbonating water results in the accumulation of an excess quantity of gas C0 ₂ inside the bottle of water to be carbonated, such excess gas substantially being the carbon dioxide that is not absorbed by the water to be carbonated.

The presence of excess gas C0 ₂ inside the bottle of water to be carbonated causes an increase in the inner pressure, which forces the user to perform a decompression operation, by manually releasing such excess gas, before being able to decouple the bottle from the device and consume the water which has now been made fizzy.

In the sector of adding carbon dioxide to water, particularly for household consumption, carbonation devices are known that are capable of dispensing such gas in the water, in order to make it fizzy, and of releasing, at the end of the carbonation process, in response to an action or a command from the user, the excess gas that is present inside the bottle of water.

Such conventional carbonation devices mainly employ two different techniques for releasing the excess carbon dioxide that is present inside the bottle: the first technique, known as "tilt to release", involves releasing the excess gas by way of the mechanical movement of the bottle, which is inclined by the user, thus opening adapted valves that allow the outflow of the gas, before being decoupled from the device; the second technique involves releasing the excess gas by way of using adapted solenoid valves, which allow the outflow of the gas in response to an electrical signal to open which originates from, for example, a button pressed by the user.

However, such conventional carbonation devices suffer several drawbacks, which include technical complexity and inconvenience of use, the latter deriving from the fact that the user not only has to set in motion the process of carbonation, but also has to manually carry out the decompression, for example by tilting the bottle or by pressing a special button, before being able to decouple the bottle from the device and consume the water that has been made fizzy.

A further disadvantage relates to the safety aspect, since if the user forgets to manually carry out the decompression, i.e. release the excess carbon dioxide, when decoupling the bottle from the device there is the possibility that the bottle may be violently expelled owing to the high pressure of the gas present inside it. In such case, the bottle could break or it could bounce with force and strike the user, even causing serious physical injury.

Another drawback of conventional carbonation devices arises when solenoid release valves are used, as these necessitate, for their operation, an electronic panel integrated with the corresponding device and an electric power supply, which can be for example batteries or a connection to the mains electricity supply.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks of the known art, by devising a carbonation device that makes it possible to obtain effects that are similar to or better than those that can be obtained with the known solutions, while relieving the user from the responsibility of having to compulsorily manually release the excess carbon dioxide, which is present under high pressure inside the bottle, before being able to decouple such bottle from the device and consume the water, or more generally the beverage, which has been made fizzy.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to devise a carbonation device that automatically carries out the decompression operation, thus automatically releasing the excess carbon dioxide that is present under high pressure inside the bottle, without any intervention from the user.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a carbonation device that is not excessively complex from the technical point of view and which reduces to the absolute minimum the operations that the user has to carry out, while being further convenient and easy to use even for those users who are less knowledgeable.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a carbonation device that ensures the personal and physical safety of the user, by preventing the user from decoupling the bottle from the device without first releasing the excess carbon dioxide that is present under high pressure inside the bottle.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a carbonation device that does not necessitate, for its correct operation, electronic control means and/or an electric power supply.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carbonation device that is highly reliable, easy to implement and low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a carbonation device, comprising means for connection to a gas supply in order to dispense said gas into a liquid to be carbonated, means for the connection of a container, adapted to contain said liquid to be carbonated, means for actuating the dispensing of said gas, a nozzle for dispensing said gas into said liquid to be carbonated, a system of ducts that are adapted to convey said gas, and at least one valve for the release of said gas that is present in excess inside said container, characterized in that said actuation means have automatic return and open said at least one release valve by way of an automatic return motion, said at least one release valve returning to the closed position at the end of said automatic return motion. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the carbonation device according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one side of an embodiment of the carbonation device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the other side of an embodiment of the carbonation device according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the carbonation device according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the carbonation device according to the present invention.

With reference to the figures, the carbonation device according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, substantially comprises an adapter 15 for the connection of a gas cylinder, an adapter 45 for the connection of a bottle, an actuation lever 20, a nozzle 40 for dispensing the carbon dioxide into the liquid to be carbonated, inflow ducts 25 and 35 for the gas supply, which are adapted to connect the adapter 15 with the nozzle 40, and outflow ducts 50 and 60 for the gas release, which are adapted to connect the adapter 45 with the outside environment.

The function of the adapter 15 is to connect and couple the carbonation device 10 to a gas cylinder, containing the gas that will be dispensed into the liquid to be carbonated; the gas cylinder connected by way of the adapter 15 typically contains carbon dioxide (C0 ₂ ), as in the case where the liquid to be carbonated is water.

Furthermore, inside the adapter 15 for connecting to a gas cylinder there is an opening needle 17 that, once actuated, acts on an emission valve located at the head of the cylinder, thus opening such valve and allowing the carbon dioxide contained in the cylinder to flow out. In a different embodiment, the adapter 15, which connects the gas cylinder to the carbonation device 10, can also be substituted by another type of means for connecting to a gas supply, for example if the source from which the gas to be introduced into the liquid to be carbonated originates is something other than a cylinder of carbon dioxide, or of gas in general.

The carbonation device 10 has, connected to the adapter 15 for connecting to a gas cylinder, an actuation lever 20 adapted to actuate the opening needle 17 that acts on the emission valve of the gas cylinder; the actuation lever 20 thus enables the user of the carbonation device 10, by pressing thereupon, to dispense the carbon dioxide contained in the gas cylinder, as a consequence starting the carbonation, i.e. the process of carbonation of the water.

Arranged below the actuation lever 20 is a spring 65, the sole purpose of which is to make the actuation lever 20 automatically return to its initial position, by pushing it slowly upwardly once the user has stopped exerting pressure thereupon.

In essence, the user starts the carbonation by pressing on the lever 20 for actuating the dispensing, which pushes the opening needle 17 downwardly, which in turn opens the emission valve of the gas cylinder 70, thus making the carbon dioxide contained therein flow out.

Thanks to the actuation lever 20, the user of the carbonation device 10 can also control the duration of the carbonation operation, thus adjusting, on the basis of such duration, the final degree of fizziness of the water.

The carbonation lasts until the user releases the actuation lever 20, which, once released, automatically returns to its initial position thanks to the spring 65, thus raising the opening needle 17 back up and, as a consequence, closing the emission valve of the gas cylinder and stopping the outflow of carbon dioxide.

The actuation lever 20 has, at one of its ends, pins 22 that act as a fulcrum for the lever 20, once they are positioned in adapted holes which are defined, for example, in a frame 70.

The actuation lever 20 further includes, at the opposite end with respect to the end referred to above, a plate 21 that substantially constitutes the point upon which the user exerts pressure on the actuation lever 20.

In a different embodiment of the carbonation device 10 according to the invention, the actuation lever 20 and the spring 65 can also be substituted by another type of means for actuating the dispensing with automatic return, i.e. able to automatically return to its initial position at the end of the carbonation, such as for example a mechanism actuated by the user by way of a button.

After flowing out from the gas cylinder, the carbon dioxide is conveyed by way of a first pipe 25, which extends from the adapter 15 for connecting to a gas cylinder, up to a safety valve 30, the function of which is to ensure the evenness of the pressure of this flow of carbon dioxide entering the carbonation device 10 and originating from the cylinder, by keeping such pressure within a preset safety threshold value.

Once it has passed through the safety valve 30, the carbon dioxide is further conveyed by way of a second pipe 35 up to an adapter 45 for connecting to a bottle, which is thus adapted to connect and couple a bottle to the carbonation device 10, such bottle containing the water that will be carbonated.

The adapter 45 is provided so as to hermetically isolate the inside of the bottle that is connected thereto, and which contains the water to be carbonated, with respect to the outside environment, so that the carbon dioxide dispensed into the water, and thus into the bottle, is not dispersed before the carbonation process is concluded.

In a different embodiment of the carbonation device 10 according to the invention, the adapter 45 can also be configured to connect and couple the carbonation device 10 to a generic container of liquid, which can be different from the bottle that is commonly used. Inside the adapter 45 there is a nozzle 40 for dispensing the carbon dioxide into the liquid to be carbonated, which has a first hole arranged at its upper end, via which the carbon dioxide, coming from the pipe 35 and originating from the gas cylinder connected to the adapter 15, is introduced into the nozzle 40, and a second hole arranged at its lower end, which allows the dispensing of the carbon dioxide into the water to be carbonated which is present in an adapted container, typically a bottle, the nozzle 40 being immersed in such water.

In a different embodiment of the carbonation device 10 according to the invention, a different nozzle can also be used for dispensing the carbon dioxide into the water to be carbonated, selected from among the various types of nozzle for delivering gas which are described in the known art.

As mentioned previously, the carbonation lasts until the user releases the actuation lever 20, which, once released, returns slowly and automatically to its initial position, thanks to the spring 65.

Once the carbonation is concluded of the water contained in the bottle connected and coupled to the carbonation device 10 by way of the adapter 15, as mentioned, it is necessary to perform a decompression operation, i.e. release the excess carbon dioxide that is present under high pressure inside the bottle, before being able to decouple the bottle from the device and consume the water that has been made fizzy.

To this end the carbonation device 10 comprises a pair of release and safety valves 55, which are arranged beside each other before and below the actuation lever 20. The release and safety valves 55 are connected to the adapter 45 by way of an exit pipe 50, and to the outside environment by way of an exit pipe 60.

The task of a release and safety valve 55 is both to allow, when open, or to prevent, when closed, the outflow of the excess carbon dioxide that is present inside the bottle of water, and also to ensure the evenness of the pressure of this outflow of carbon dioxide from the carbonation device 10, by keeping such pressure within a preset safety threshold value.

While the actuation lever 20 is pushed upwardly by the spring 65, executing an automatic return motion toward its initial position, the actuation lever 20 pushes inwardly the pins 57 for opening the two release and safety valves 55.

The opening pins 57 in turn push on the gasket that is present inside each one of the valves 55, thus opening the valves 55 and allowing the excess carbon dioxide, originating from the adapter 45 by way of the exit pipe 50, to flow out from the carbonation device 10 to the outside environment, passing through the exit pipe 60.

By releasing, thanks to the pair of release and safety valves 55, the excess carbon dioxide that is present inside the bottle, the pressure of the C0 ₂ gas inside the carbonation device 10, and in particular inside the bottle, decreases.

The moment the actuation lever 20 automatically reaches its initial position as a result of the spring 65, the release and safety valves 55 close again and the excess carbon dioxide that is present inside the bottle is completely released, bringing the decompression operation to an end and allowing the user to decouple the bottle from the device and consume the water that has been made fizzy.

Operation of the carbonation device 10 according to the present invention, if the user wants to prepare carbonated water, is the following.

First the user connects a cylinder of carbon dioxide to the adapter 15 and then arranges a bottle containing water to be carbonated in the adapter 45, so that the nozzle 40 is embedded in the liquid, by fixing the bottle to the carbonation device 10.

At this point the user presses on the actuation lever 20, and in particular on the plate 21, thus commencing the introduction of the carbon dioxide into the water contained in the bottle and so starting the process of carbonation, which makes it possible to confer fizziness on the water. Once the desired degree of fizziness has been reached, the user releases the actuation lever 20, thus stopping the introduction of carbon dioxide into the water contained in the bottle and thus concluding the carbonation process.

When the user stops pressing on the actuation lever 20, the spring 65 starts to push it slowly upwardly, making the actuation lever 20 automatically return to its initial position.

During the automatic return motion that the actuation lever 20 executes in order to return to its initial position, the actuation lever 20 acts on the pair of release and safety valves, as a consequence opening them and releasing the excess carbon dioxide that is present inside the bottle in total safety.

When the actuation lever 20 has reached its initial position, the release and safety valves 55 close again and the decompression operation can be considered concluded. The user can thus proceed to extract the bottle from the carbonation device 10, and in particular from the adapter 45; the carbonated water is now ready to be consumed.

In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the set aim and objects. In particular, it has been seen that the carbonation device thus conceived makes it possible to overcome the qualitative limitations of the known art, in that it automatically carries out the decompression operation, thus automatically releasing the excess carbon dioxide that is present under high pressure inside the bottle, without any intervention from the user. The user is thus freed from having to manually release the excess C0 ₂ gas before being able to decouple the bottle from the device and consume the beverage that has been made fizzy.

Although the carbonation device according to the invention has been conceived in particular for carrying out the carbonation of mineral water by adding a variable quantity of carbon dioxide thereto, it can in any case be used, more generally, to dispense any gas into any liquid, according to the needs.

The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; by way of non-limiting example, the person skilled in the art will easily understand that a mechanism can also be provided for inclining the adapter 45 and/or the nozzle 40, in order to facilitate the insertion and locking of a bottle in the adapter 45. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

In conclusion, the scope of protection of the claims shall not be limited by the explanations or by the preferred embodiments illustrated in the description by way of examples, but rather the claims shall comprise all the patentable characteristics of novelty that reside in the present invention, including all the characteristics that would be considered as equivalent by the person skilled in the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MT2014A000519 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.