| 1. | A device for preserving the gas content of carbonated drinks even as said drinks are being consumed, characterized in that it comprises a source (10,23, 25) of pressurized gas, connection and control members intervening between said source and a stopper (3, 18) for the container or bottle (1) filled with a pressurized drink or liquid (11,12, 13,15), said stopper including gas in duction (8,9) and shutoff (4) members and being coupleable (3, 7) or coupled (18, 17) to a body (5, 17) of said device where ex ternally operated members (8,22) for controlling the inflow of said gas to the bottle or container are provided. |
| 2. | A device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said source is a refill gas bottle (10,23). |
| 3. | A device according to Claim 2 above, characterized in that said gas bottle (10,23) incorporates a pressure reducer for reducing the topup gas infeed to a desired value. |
| 4. | A device according to Claims 1, 2 above, characterized in that said body (5,17) incorporates a pressure reducer for reducing the topup gas infeed to a desired value. |
| 5. | A device according to one of the preceding claims, character ized in that said externally operated flow control members com prise a pushbutton operated shutoff valve (8). |
| 6. | A device according to one of Claims 1 to 4 above, characterized in that said body (17) incorporates a dip tube (16) for the drink or liquid, and said externally operated flow control members (22) comprise a dual valve for controllably supplying two different fluids, i. e. simultaneously the drink or liquid and the topup gas. |
| 7. | A device according to Claim 5 above, characterized in that said body (17) incorporates a dip tube (16) for the drink or liquid to be issued and a sequential valve placed directly downstream of said tube. |
| 8. | A device according to one of Claims 1,4, 5,6 or 7 above, characterized in that said source of pressurized gas is a power compressor (25,26). |
| 9. | A device according to Claims 8 above, characterized in that it comprises a surge tank (24) placed between said power compressor and the body (5,17) of the device for preserving the gas content of carbonated drinks even as said drinks are being consumed. |
The state of the art provides container stopping devices in- tended to preserve the fizzy character of carbonated drinks. Such devices are for unsealing/re-sealing the container by the consu- mer.
In this case, while not all the gas in the drink will leave the container at once, in the re-sealed state of the container after some of its contents has been poured out, the gas in the left-over drink will be released to the container interior as it did former- ly when the drink was at a higher level. However, the now larger neck space of the container allows the gas to expand further and the drink to quickly become flat even though the container has been accurately re-sealed. This is more noticeable in large capac- ity containers. On removal of the stopper, the gas that fills the neck space of the container is allowed to escape and the drink found to have lost much of its fizzy character.
Thus, even when the container is re-sealed tightly after some of its contents has been poured out, the drink will lose some gas.
The amount of gas lost increases with the falling of the level of the drink in the container.
Also known are drink dispensers whereby gas from an external gas bottle can be injected into a container to propel the drink out. This is the case with so-called"bung"dispensers, wherein gas loaded into large bottles provides, through appropriate pres-
sure and flow-rate regulators, the pressure needed to pump the drink from within a cask to the dispenser and out. Drinks so dis- pensed are usually consumed directly upon delivery, for in a drinking glass, the drink is bound to gradually lose its gas con- tent, as is typical of any carbonated drinks left out of their containers. A disadvantage of"bung"dispensers is that they are too complicated and expensive to use outside premises where carbo- nated drinks are in continual demand. At home, a conventional "bung"dispenser would be impractical, also on account of the large capacity casks that usually associate with such dispensers.
An ability to maintain carbonated drinks at their original gas content inside drink bottles or containers even when the drink is consumed only at long intervals, or an ability to have a drink dispensed"bung-style"at household level in a cost-efficient man- ner, would be a highly desirable improvement over the state of the art.
Accordingly, the technical problem addressed by this invention is to provide a device that can effectively preserve the gas con- tent of a drink-in its container even after repeat pourings of the drink, and can control the pourings out of drink at no loss of the gas.
The above technical problem is solved by this invention provid- ing a device for preserving the gas content of carbonated drinks even as such drinks are being poured, characterized in that it comprises a source of pressurized gas, connection and control mem- bers intervening between said source and a stopper for the con- tainer or bottle filled with a pressurized drink or liquid, said stopper including gas induction and shut-off members and being coupleable or coupled to a body of said device where externally operated members for controlling the gas inflow to the bottle or container are provided.
In a preferred embodiment, said source is a refill gas bottle
incorporating to advantage a pressure reducer for reducing the top-up gas infeed to a desired value.
In another preferred embodiment, said body incorporates a pres- sure reducer for reducing the top-up gas infeed to a desired val- ue.
In another embodiment, said externally operated flow control members comprise a push-button operated shut-off valve.
In another embodiment, said body incorporates a dip tube for the drink or liquid, and said externally operated flow control members comprise a dual valve for controllably supplying two dif- ferent fluids, simultaneously the drink or liquid and the top-up gas.
In another embodiment, said body incorporates a dip tube for the drink or liquid and a sequential valve placed directly down- stream of said tube.
In a further preferred embodiment, said source of pressurized gas is a power compressor, and a surge tank is provided between said power compressor and the body of the device for preserving the gas content of carbonated drinks even as such drinks are being issued.
Some embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawing, where: Figure 1 shows schematically a drink bottle incorporating the gas top-up device for topping up the neck space of the drink container according to the invention; Figure 2 shows schematically a pressure dispenser featuring simul- taneous gas topping up; Figure 3 shows schematically a household appliance including a power compressor for filling and topping up drink bottles and/or containers with a drink or liquid to be main- tained at a given gas content.
Figure 1 shows a bottle 1 having a neck 2 sealed by a stopper 3 that incorporates a check valve 4. This valve is connected to the device body 5 and contacts a sealing gasket 6. The body 5 is guid- ed on said stopper 3 by a cap 7. The body includes a pressure re-
ducer (not shown), a pushbutton operated valve 8, and a shut-off control device 9. A pressurized gas bottle 10 is connected to said body upstream of said pressure reducer. Shown in the bottle 1 are gradually falling levels 11,12 and 13 attained during successive consumptions of the carbonated drink or liquid; at each consump- tion, the neck space 14 grows inversely with the level.
Figure 2 shows the level 15 in said bottle 1, with the dip tube 16 reaching below it. The body 17 of the combined gas top-up de- vice and drink dispenser has a stopper 18 arranged to seal said bottle neck 2. A conduit 19 in said body 17 is led, through a valve (not shown), to the drink delivery spout 20. The conduit 21 extends alongside the former and is connected to the same valve, but such that the topping-up gas does not get mixed into the liq- uid being dispensed. This valve can be operated from outside said body 17 by pressing on the pushbutton 22. The pressurized gas bot- tle 23 is connected to said body through a pressure reducer (not shown) provided between said gas bottle and said valve.
Figure 3 shows the pressurized gas tank 24 connected to the body 5 of the gas top-up device as described above herein. This gas tank is connected to the power compressor assembly 25, where air is compressed and supplied through the filter 26 into said tank.
The operation of the gas top-up device according to the inven- tion shown in Figure 1 proceeds as follows. After unsealing a drink bottle and pouring out some of its contents, a user re-seals the drink bottle with the stopper 3 provided with the valve 4. The valved stopper is brought to the body 5 by inserting it through the cap 7 until said valve is communicated to the conduits in said body. Thereafter, the user depresses the pushbutton 8 to allow the pressurized gas from the gas bottle 10, as pressure relieved through said reducer (not shown), to flow through the control de- vice 9 into the neck space 14 overlying the liquid or drink to be
pressurized. After a while, the device can be removed, and pres- sure will remain trapped within the neck space 14 and in the liq- uid or drink to hold the gas therein. The check valve 4 will keep the pressure within the drink bottle 1 after removal of said body 5. Upon later pourings of the drink, the same procedure should be followed to top up the gas in said neck space 14, the volume of which will have increased in proportion to the amount of drink or liquid consumed.
In the embodiment of Figure 2, once the drink bottle or con- tainer 1 is unsealed and the stopper 18 applied to the mouth of its neck 2, the tube 16 will act as a dip tube in the drink/liquid to be issued. The delivery valve, not shown, is then operated by depressing the pushbutton 22 to communicate the dip tube 16 to the spout 20 and deliver the drink/liquid contents of the drink bot- tle/container 1. Concurrently therewith, the pressurized gas in the gas bottle 23 is communicated to said delivery valve through the conduit 21 such that the gas will not get mixed up with the drink/liquid. The gas undergoes a reduction of its pressure through the reducer, not shown, in the body 17, and fills the neck space 14 above the liquid 15 to urge the drink/liquid up the tube 16 for ultimate delivery through the spout 20. On the pushbutton being released, the delivery valve will cut off both the drink/liquid flow to the spout and the gas flow into the neck space 14 above the drink/liquid level. The gas used for urging out the liquid will now stay under pressure to hold back the original gas in the carbonated drink or liquid.
With the device of Figure 2, after the device is mounted to a given drink bottle/container, moving it to another drink bot- tle/container would not be practical because the pressurizing gas in the neck space 14 would be lost, and with it gas from the drink/liquid.
The gas bottles 10 and 23 can be replaced only after they are emptied of the gas therein.
The operation of the embodiment of Figure 3 is similar to that of Figure 1, except that the pressurized gas is now provided by compressing ambient air, as suitably purified and filtered through the filter 26. This air is used for topping up the neck space 14 above the gradually falling levels 11,12 or 13 in the drink bot- tle (s) as the content is poured out.
In the devices of Figures 1 and 3, each drink bottle/container 1 in use should be equipped with a stopper 3 having a check valve 4. The stopper should be removed, by hand the same way as other stoppers commonly in use, for dispensing its drink/liquid con- tents, and then re-applied. In addition, each time that drink/liq- uid is issued out, the container should be topped up with gas us- ing the device of Figure 1 or 3. With the device of Figure 3, the power compressor can be operated automatically to maintain the pressure in the tank 24 such that it will only be topped up as the tank pressure drops below a minimum level.
The following are benefits of this invention: as carbonated drinks or liquids are being poured out, the gas content can be maintained at its original level even through subsequent cosump- tions by topping up the gas directly after the bottle/container 1- is re-sealed. The two devices of Figures 1 and 3 operate in a sim- ilar way, but differ in convenience of use; actually, they both will maintain the proper pressure within the bottle/container even with the liquid at its lowest level therein. The device of Figure 1 can be taken along on outings and is adequate to pressurize any bottle/container type; the device of Figure 3 is more conveniently used at home in much the same manner, but is more sparing of top- up gas compression. Both devices can be used with any size bottles currently available, although bottles/containers of large capacity yield best results, as mentioned above. The device of Figure 2 can dispense carbonated drinks/liquids the same as"bung-style"sys- tems, but at lower costs and especially with reduced space re- quirements; it is easy and quick to use, and can dispense drinks "bung"style, i. e. under pressure, with no relation to the compli-
cated conventional systems.
In practice the materials, dimensions, and constructional de- tails may be different from but equivalent to those specified above without departing from the juridical domain of the present invention.
Thus, although less conveniently, the filled gas bottles could be replaced in the bung-style dispenser of Figure 2 as well, using a power compressor and a surge tank similarly as in Figure 3. Al- so, the device of Figure 2 could include a"sequential"valve placed between said dip tube 16 and the delivery spout 20, without using the dual valve for different fluids described in the forego- ing.