RELATION APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 17/659,326 filed April 14, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of aging alcoholic beverages. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a mechanism and its associated methods to age a relatively small amount of alcohol in in a very rapid manner. The device may also be used for rapid infusion of flavors or aromatics into any liquids or essential oils.

BACKGROUND

[0003] There is a very large market for craft beer, wine, whiskey, vodka, and other spirits. In fact, many consumers home brew beer and wine. A very large industry has grown around supplying the materials necessary for producing these spirits at home or in restaurants. Additionally, the interest in small batch whiskey (especially bourbon) has also grown dramatically in recent years, with some brands costing over $1,000 in the secondary market. A fair number of small businesses have even built low volume stills in order to produce their own liquor, especially to make their own whiskey. Others are now making small batch vodka, gin, and other liquors. One challenge they have encountered is that aging the liquor takes a very long time in conventional oak barrels.

[0004] To help fill this need for custom craft whiskey and other liquors, there are very small, charred oak barrels available that age the liquor much faster than a conventional barrel because the surface area to volume ratio is increased. Instead of years in a barrel, the liquor can be aged in months. One problem with these barrels is that it takes time to “season” them by filling them with water and allowing the wood to expand to seal properly prior to use with alcohol. Another problem is that every time the barrel is used, there is less flavor and color it can provide, and the time required is increased. After about 5 uses, there is nothing left for the barrel to provide to the alcohol. Since whiskey gets roughly 80% of its flavor from the oak, it is also not possible to craft a custom whiskey flavor without adding flavorings to the liquor. White Oak is primarily used to make whiskey barrels because of its ability to swell in the correct manner to provide a near airtight seal and last for many years. Oak barrels are often toasted prior to charring in order to impart certain flavor profiles. There are no other flavor profiles available to impart into the whiskey once it has been placed into a barrel. Most providers of these small aging barrels do in fact sell flavor packets (sometimes called “essence”) to artificially create alternative flavors such as Bourbon, Irish, Tennessee or Honey whiskey.

[0005] At least one company uses the conventional large oak barrels and places them on a ship out to sea for a period of time to allow the wave action on the ship to agitate the alcohol in the barrel in an attempt to speed up the process. Another method is to place toasted oak chips into the liquor, usually in ajar, for an extended period of time, perhaps weeks or months. Once the oak chips have imparted the desired color and flavor, they must be removed from the liquor. Depending on the size of the chips used, there can be significant material present that must be filtered out prior to consumption.

[0006] Various methods exist for speeding up this process, one is sometimes called “nuclear” aging. This method attempts to mimic the conventional process that occurs in a large barrel in a rack house at a distillery. In the conventional process, the temperature in the barrel rises and falls with the ambient temperature within the rack house. As the temperature rises, the pressure in the barrel rises, and alcohol is forced into the wood which has been toasted and charred. As the temperature drops, the pressure drops, and the alcohol comes back out of the wood, bringing with it color and flavor. Since the temperature rises and falls on a daily basis, this process can take years. In fact, some areas of the rack house seem to have better results than others and some distillers sell the whiskey made in those locations at a premium as “small batch” or even “single barrel” labels. The nuclear aging process mimics this by placing a sealed jar of liquor with toasted oak chips into a microwave oven and heating the liquor up to a certain predefined temperature and then placing it into a refrigerator or freezer to cool it back down. This process is repeated until the desired results have been achieved. There are some safety risks with placing high proof alcohol into a microwave and heating it up. Care must also be taken to ensure the lid used is microwave safe and non- metallic.

[0007] Other methods are also used such as placing the jar of liquor onto a radiator or other heat source, or even leaving it in a room with sunlight heating it. Cleveland Whiskey (US 2013/0149423 Al) uses a method that includes raising and lowering the pressure of the liquor and wood chips either directly, with temperature, with volume or a combination thereof. This method may take weeks to months to accomplish the desired results. The idea of using sound waves to rapidly age liquor has been around since at least 1933 (US20888585). Sound transducers within the audible range and ultrasonic range have been added to whiskey barrels, and other devices such as the one described by Terraessentia Corporation (US 2017/0107467), which includes inserting an ultrasonic source into the interior of the vessel in order to provide a range of exposure of ultrasonic energy to the interior volume of the container greater than 180 degrees. These methods may not be cost effective or compact enough for home use or even in a small bar or restaurant. Additionally, there are methods that combine ultrasonic energy with other treatments such as; light, heat, oxygenation, liquid circulation or a combination of these items. Others have tried to employ ultrasonic treatment by using an ultrasonic parts cleaner and modifying it to hold liquor bottles, such as the ones described by Terraessentia (WO 2017/200813 Al), and by Woo Hwan Jang, et. al. (US 2010/0062120 Al). In these instances, the ultrasonic energy passes through the wall of the bottle, which attenuates the power, adding time to the process. In using bottles to hold the liquid for treatment, the wood chips must be small enough to fit into the bottle and then separated from the liquid prior to consumption.

[0008] Thus, Applicant has recognized that there is a need for a machine specifically designed to allow users to easily, and inexpensively age liquor in an optimally rapid manner, with flexibility of volume, and enough safety features and controls to meet the needs of the average consumer. This device must be simple and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

[0009] A rapid alcohol aging device for batch processing and associated methods are described. The mechanism and the associated methods, once implemented, can reduce the time needed to induce desired flavoring of the alcoholic beverage or liquor. The disclosed invention allows the user to easily drain or pour out the liquor after processing, easily remove the oak chips from the liquor after treatment, and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer may be optimized for the volume of liquor present during treatment.

[00010] A mechanism according to one embodiment described herein can include a stainless-steel vessel that holds the alcohol to be aged, holds the toasted wood chips to be used to age the alcohol, and holds any other botanicals, spices, fruits or flavors to be infused into the alcohol. Additionally, the mechanism may employ one or more ultrasonic transducers, associated electronics and wiring to provide power to the transducer, an external or internal power supply for the transducer, and an enclosure for the vessel and associated electronics and wiring. There are several optional physical features that may be included as part of the mechanism, comprising such elements as a drain and/or spigot, pouring spout, handle, lid, wood enclosure, stainless steel enclosure, or a plastic enclosure.

[00011] In one embodiment, the mechanism may be controlled through electronic communication with a software application. The software application may be coded to run on a personal computer or mobile computing device to allow the setting of parameters or indications back to the user. The features that the user may be able to control on the mechanism could include such function of features of the mechanism such as setting the desired run time, a stop command, a restart command, an end of cycle alert to the user, a fault indication, or additionally modulation of the ultrasonic energy based upon a selected musical tune. There may also be predefined time settings that control the treatment to translate to an equivalent number of years of barrel aging for certain types of liquors such as Bourbon, Scotch, Irish, Tequila, or others As some example embodiments, these could be settings for 9 year Bourbon, 12 year Scotch, anejo tequila, or others. [00012] In one embodiment, a 60 Watt transducer is sufficient to age 750mL of alcohol and an appropriate amount of toasted wood chips, in 24 minutes. A second transducer may be added to speed up the time, or multiple smaller wattage transducers may be used to achieve similar performance, or a single smaller wattage transducer may be used with an optimized vessel geometry design.

[00013] In another embodiment, the user may wish to age a neutral, clear liquor into a whisky by aging with toasted oak chips. This can provide a whisky that is essentially comparable to whisky created in the traditional manner of aging liquor in a charred oak barrel. In the traditional method of aging whisky in a charred oak barrel, the barrel is filled with unaged liquor and placed in a rack house to age over time. As the temperature in the barrel rises and falls, the pressure in the barrel rises and falls, forcing the alcohol into the wood and pulling it back out. Each time this happens, the alcohol interacts with the wood and pulls out certain flavor compounds and color from the wood. In this traditional method, the number of temperature cycles required to properly age the whisky to a desirable level is left to the temperature cycles of each day and of the seasons. It should be noted that the charring of the inside of the barrel is considered a necessary feature to provide “pores” for the alcohol to gain access to the interior of the wood. Some whiskey experts have identified 8-10 years as the optimal amount of time for bourbon to age. Less time may not impart enough flavor or color, and more time can cause the bourbon to start to taste like “wet wood”. The invention disclosed eliminates the need for temperature changes to occur, does not require any pressure changes to occur and does not require wood to be charred. Toasted wood chips are all that is required, because the alcohol and the wood are forced to interact due to “cavitation” caused by the applied ultrasonic energy. “Cavitation” occurs when the ultrasonic energy applied is sufficient to cause the molecules of the liquid to separate, thus forming tiny vacuum bubbles in the liquid. These tiny bubbles form in the presence of impurities in the liquid, such as the surface of the toasted wood chips. The cavitation bubbles grow and then eventually collapse. When the cavitation bubbles collapse, they release a large amount of heat and pressure in a small area. A jet of liquid is formed in the direction of the wood chip surface and acts to disrupt the wood particles in a similar manner that an ultrasonic cleaner disrupts dirt particles from the surface of an item to be cleaned. This disruption of the wood particle releases the flavor compounds of the wood into the alcohol, as well as the color. The cumulative action of these tiny cavitation bubbles provides the same effect as letting the alcohol sit in a charred oak barrel for years. Taste testing has shown that experienced whiskey drinkers cannot reliably tell the difference between moonshine aged for 24 minutes in the disclosed invention and a top shelf bourbon aged for 9 years in a barrel in Kentucky.

[00014] Ultrasonic transducers are commercially available from 20Khz up to over IMhz. Lower frequencies result in larger cavitation bubbles and more energy release from those bubbles. Higher frequencies result in smaller cavitation bubbles and less energy release from each bubble. The higher energy released by the lower frequencies can lead to “cavitation decay” of the machine’s stainless-steel vessel as well as cause distress in animals kept as pets in the household that can hear sounds at higher frequencies than humans.

[00015] In one embodiment, a frequency of around 40Khz has been found to be a very good tradeoff between performance and reliability of the mechanism. Higher frequencies may be used to “soften” the impact upon the wood fibers and prevent the “woody” flavor that lower frequencies can impart depending on the size of the wood chips. The mechanism may comprise a single 40/80 Khz transducer or even an 80/160 Khz transducer, with a selection by the user to set the desired frequency. In a further embodiment, there is an advantage to the selection of the second frequency of the transducer being a multiple increment of the base frequency, as it allows the optimization of the bowl design to work for either frequency since the wave lengths will be multiples of each other. [00016] In one embodiment, the invention solves one of the challenges with using an ultrasonic transducer-based system, in that the resonant frequency and the load seen by the driving circuit are dependent on the amount of mass of liquid and wood chips in the vessel. It should be noted that properties of the liquid, such as viscosity and density, also affect operating efficiency These factors can shift the resonant frequency and lead to suboptimal performance, or overheating of the electronics, even to the point of destruction if not compensated for by controls within the device.

[00017] In one embodiment, to protect against the suboptimal performance caused by changes in the resonant frequency of the system, electronic controls are used to sweep the frequency above and below the center-point of the transducer’s frequency rating while measuring the current draw of the power driver circuit. In this manner, with the drive voltage held nearly constant, the frequency that provides the desired current and therefore optimal power into the transducer may be found. Thus, the closed loop feedback of the delivered power can be monitored and controlled. This closed loop system then ensures that the power delivered is always in a safe operating area and the system will not damage itself. This “self-tuning” method also helps to eliminate variability in components and manufacturing that could lead to small shifts in the resonant frequency of the machine. Once liquid and wood chips are placed into the machine, and the user starts the aging process, the system will “self-tune” to find the optimal frequency for the load presented at that time and then use that frequency for the aging process.

[00018] In a further embodiment, the system may automatically repeat the self-tuning algorithm periodically during the aging process, or as a result in a decrease in power being delivered to the transducer. Both of these methods will help to keep the power delivered at or near the maximum possible safe level regardless of changes caused by temperature (cavitation releases heat into the liquid, which will change the speed of sound of that liquid and may affect the resonant frequency of the system) or user interaction (adding wood or liquid mass, or removing wood or liquid mass from the system). Alternately, methods of determining the optimal frequency within the mechanism could include measuring the amplitude of the ultrasonic signal using a microphone, measurement of the mechanical movement of the system, accelerometer, detection of cavitation bubbles, or other methods.

[00019] In one embodiment, measuring the current draw of the transducer also allows the system to protect itself against user error that could cause the system to overheat to the point of destruction. If the user does not provide a certain minimum level of liquid, the load to the power driver circuit will appear to be of lower resistance and will draw too much power. Setting a maximum current limit and the resulting maximum power consumed during the self-tuning process will allow the system to scale back current to a safe level for the power electronics and the transducer. The system can also shut down and prevent damage to the system if attempts are made to operate while completely empty as an example. The user could be alerted to this condition in any number of ways. One such way may be to blink an LED indicator to alert the user. Another method may be via Bluetooth, WiFi, or some other wireless communications to a software application on the user’s smart phone tablet or other smart device. Other methods may be used to determine that the minimum volume has been placed in the machine, such as by weight, liquid level sensing, or other safety devices.

[00020] In one embodiment, the mechanism electronics may be a system optimized for the maximum amount of cavitation possible for the transducer used. As mentioned before, cavitation bubbles are formed if enough ultrasonic energy is imparted into the liquid. The most cavitation occurs when the system creates standing waves in the liquid. The large changes in pressure created by standing waves creates the cavitation bubbles, in the areas between the wave maxima and minima.

[00021] In a further embodiment, where an ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the bottom of the vessel, the sound waves travel up towards the surface of the liquid and are reflected from the surface back down towards the bottom. Standing waves occur when this distance is an integer multiple of i wavelength of the sound wave. The wavelength of the sound wave depends on the frequency and the speed at which it travels through the liquid. The speed of sound through the liquid depends on the liquid used, as well as the temperature of that liquid. Since the liquid used in the disclosed invention is typically made of a combination of water and ethyl alcohol, the speed of sound in this liquid is calculated based on the alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of alcohol in water. The typical ABV range used in the embodiment may be 40% ABV up to about 62.5% ABV (80 - 125 proof). As an example, it may be desired to optimize the system for 50% ABV or 100 proof, although the system may be optimized for any alcohol volume the user desires. The speed of sound through water at 25 degrees C (room temperature) is known to be 1494 m/s, while the speed of sound through ethyl alcohol at 25 degrees C is known to be 1143.5 m/s. The speed of sound through a 50-50 mixture of the two (50% ABV or 100 proof) will then be the average of the two, or 1319 m/s at 25 degrees C.

[00022] In a furtherance of the same example, assuming an ultrasonic transducer is used that produces a sound wave with a frequency of 40 Khz, then the wavelength of the sound through this mixture of alcohol and water may be calculated. The wavelength, often called Lambda = the speed of sound through the medium (represented by C) divided by the frequency (represented by F). So Lambda = C/F or 1319 meters per second/40000 cycles per second = 0.033 meters or 1.30 inches. [00023] In one embodiment, the vessel can be made in such a way that the liquid level is at an increment of i Lambda (or 0.65 inches) then we can be assured that a standing wave will be created, thus maximizing the cavitation bubbles in the system. Care must be taken to compensate for the liquid displaced by the toasted oak chips used. In one embodiment, for a 750 mL bottle of liquor, the amount of oak chips to be used for flavoring, displaces approximately 200 mL of liquid, so the system in this case should be optimized for approximately 950 ml of volume. In a further embodiment, the same calculation is used when the user only wants to age ! > a bottle of liquor, or 375 mL of liquid. In this example, the oak chips used will displace approximately 100 mL of liquid, so the system should be optimized for approximately 475 mL.

[00024] In another embodiment, the width of the vessel may also be optimized for the area of the oak chips that will be floating in the liquid. It is desirable to keep the oak chips from floating away from the center of the vessel where most of the power is concentrated and moving out towards the sides. As an example, the amount of oak chips to be used for i a bottle of liquor may occupy an area approximately 4.5 inches in diameter when placed into a round vessel.

[00025] The surface area of the oak chips is related to the particle size distribution of the oak chips and quantity of chips within the vessel. The smaller the wood chips, the larger the surface area of the chips. In one embodiment the oak chips are contained in a fine mesh bag to allow the liquid to penetrate to the chips while containing the wood material of the chips. The selection of appropriate particle sizes of oak chips is critical to the infusion speed of the process. The particles need to be large enough to survive either “toasting” or “charring” flavoring processes without completely burning, and allowing for a portion of the wood grain to stay intact. The chips also must be large enough to be reasonably filtered by the mesh bag they are installed in. Too small of a particle size will clog the filter mesh or escape into the liquid and thus requiring additional filtration steps. However, very large particles sizes of wood chips slow the process and create a higher amount of wood mass within the treatment device, therefore requiring larger treatment vessels. In one embodiment, a particle size distribution of particles larger than 0.02” but smaller than 0.80” inch may be placed in bags that hold approximately between one to ten cubic inches of volume, using a fine 0.002” to 0.015” mesh bag. Finer mesh bags may also be used. Using fine mesh bags removes a separate filtering step that may be needed to remove ultra-fine particles from the liquid after treatment. It is preferential to use a mesh bag that is at least 10 times smaller than the particle size being filtered. The mesh openings must also be large enough to allow the liquid to diffuse in and out of the filter bag under the influence of the ultrasonic energy. [00026] In an embodiment the amount of oak chips contained in fine mesh bags, selected for processing of a full 750mL bottle of liquor within the vessel takes up an area of about 5.5 inches in diameter. The optimal shape of the vessel should be able to allow sufficient room for the oak chips at each of these levels without being so wide as to allow the oak chips to float away from the center, while providing the proper depth at each of these volumes to be an integer increment of 14 Lambda. The vessel also is sized to provide enough space on the bottom to mount the transducer(s) and in some embodiments a drain.

[00027] In the same embodiment a 4-inch diameter on the bottom of the vessel provides enough space to allow for a single transducer and a l” diameter drain. As an example, if a vessel design using a conical frustum shape for a vessel that holds 475mL of liquid and allows for at least 4.5 inches of diameter and has a height of an integer increment of % Lambda (0.65”) this then requires a conical frustum with a diameter of 4.69 inches at a height of 1.95 inches (1.5 Lambda). This then becomes the shape necessary to age 14 a bottle of liquor starting with a 4-inch diameter base.

[00028] Further for this embodiment, starting with the previously illustrated height and diameter and projecting upwards to hold another 475mL (the rest of the bottle and associated oak chips, geometry may again be used to determine a height that maintains an integer increment of 14 Lambda and allows for a minimum of 5.5 inches. In this case the diameter is 5.94” at a height of 1.3” (1.0 Lambda). The vessel is now a two-stage conical frustum which will allow for the user to age 14 or a whole 750mL bottle of liquor and provide for standing waves to occur.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00029] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not by limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements.

[00030] FIGURE l is a cross section of the device assembly

[00031] FIGURE 2 is a cross section of the bowl design

[00032] FIGURE 3 is a cross section of a bowl to process 1.2L

[00033] FIGURE 4 is a cross section of a bowl to process LOL

[00034] FIGURE 5 is a cross section of the bowl with a different form factor

[00035] FIGURE 6 is a reference for toasting treatment of oak chips (Prior Art)

[00036] FIGURE 7 is a particle size distribution for oak chips used for flavoring [00037] FIGURE 8 is a flow chart which illustrates a method for ultrasonic transducer control loop according to an embodiment.

[00038] FIGURE 9 is a process map for aging an amount of liquor using the device

[00039] FIGURE 10 is a graph of the flavor/color impact of transducer power vs wood chip surface area.

[00040] FIGURE 11 is a schematic of the novel closed loop circuit used to drive the ultrasonic transducer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00041] Various embodiments and aspects will be described with reference to details discussed below, and the accompanying drawings will illustrate the various embodiments The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments.

[00042] Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Although the processes are described below in terms of some sequential operations, it should be appreciated that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Moreover, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

[00043] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Any examples of operating parameters and/or environmental conditions are not exclusive of other parameters/conditions of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally, it should be understood that references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," “certain embodiments,” or “other embodiments” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, reference to terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “front,” “back,” or other terms regarding orientation are made with reference to the illustrated embodiments and are not intended to be limiting or exclude other orientations.

[00044] The embodiments described herein allow for rapid infusion of flavoring or aromatics into liquid. One embodiment shown in Figure 1 show the cross section of the invention that includes a stainless steel vessel (1) that holds the alcohol to be aged, holds the toasted wood chips to be used to age the alcohol, and holds any other botanicals, spices, fruits or flavors to be infused into the alcohol. Additionally, the mechanism may employ one or more ultrasonic transducers (2), associated electronics (3) and wiring (4) to provide power to the transducer (2), an external or internal power supply for the transducer (5), and an enclosure (8) for the vessel and associated electronics and wiring (6). There are several optional physical features that may be included as part of the mechanism, comprising such elements as a drain (7) and/or spigot, pouring spout, handle, lid, wood enclosure, stainless steel enclosure, or a plastic enclosure. In this embodiment, the stainless steel vessel (1) is designed from 30 mil thick stainless steel. Stainless steel is ideal for comestible preparation and devices, however this vessel may also be made from food-grade plastics or other treated metals that will not corrode.

[00045] Figure 2 describes the dimensions of a vessel design. The top opening of the vessel (11) is accessible to place liquid and wood chips within the vessel. The vessel sides (12) are shown in cross section, connected to the bottom plane of the vessel (13). It should be noted that the sides of the vessel (12) do not need to be of constant slope, as they may include inflection point (14) where the slope is varied in the outer walls of the vessel. The vessel itself also does not require symmetry of the outer wall (12) rotated around an imaginary central axis through the center of the bottom (13) of the vessel. The vessel may also include a top flange (15) that may be integrally formed to the sides (12) or mechanically attached to the vessel. The flange (1 ) may act as an attachment point for the vessel to the mechanical enclosure (8) shown in Figure 1. The dimensions of the design of the vessel shown are calculated to account for the area displaced by the wood chips in the liquid. In this embodiment the appropriate amount of wood chips to age a volume of 375mL of 50% alcohol displaces about 100 mL for a total volume of 475mL. for 750mL of liquid, the wood chips displace about 200mL of liquid for a total volume of 950mL.

[00046] Figure 3 describes another example of a simpler shape that is still nearly perfectly optimized, is a single stage conical frustum of appropriate diameters and height. In this example, we account for the liquid displaced by the wood chips. The vessel is formed in a bowl shape, shown in cross-section, consisting of top opening (20), a formed flange (21), sides of the vessel (22), and bottom of the vessel (23). The bowl starts with a bottom diameter of 3.71” (inside measurement) and slopes out to a diameter of 4.93” (24) at a height of 1.95” or 1.5 Lambda. This geometry is optimized for 472mL. Although the ideal for this vessel filled to a height of 1.95 inches of liquid is to be optimized for 450mL, the self-tuning feature of this invention can adjust the frequency for this small difference, as it will adjust for geometric imperfections and changes in mass of the vessel Extending the height of the sides (22) of the conical frustum while maintaining the same slope of the sides, we get to a point where the diameter of the bowl is 5.75” (25) at a height of 3.25” or 2.5 Lambda. This is ideal of 950mL of volume. The 3.71” diameter at the bottom (23) of the bowl may be too small to allow the transducer to be mounted directly in the center, and still have room for a 1” drain as a common piping size In this case, the transducer may be mounted offset from the center to make room for the drain.

[00047] Figure 4 describes a design for the purpose of eliminating the offset of the transducer from the bottom center of the bowl. For this purpose, another design embodiment can be created that accommodates for the most often use case of aging an entire 750mL bottle at once and allowing for a slightly less than optimal design when aging 350mL of alcohol. The higher energy density of the ultrasonic waves with 350mL of liquid, will more than make up for any losses due to being slightly less than optimized for this volume of liquid. In this case, we start with an inside diameter of 4.62” at the bottom of the conical frustum (30) and slope out to an inner diameter of 6.0” (31) at a height of 2.60” or 2 Lambda. This is optimized for 950mL of liquid and wood chips. At a height of 1.3” (32) or 1 Lambda, the diameter is 5.3”. As it turns out, this is optimal for 442mL, which is only 33 mL less than ideal.

[00048] Figure 5 is another design embodiment with a similar tradeoff at 450mL as illustrated in Fig 4. The vessel in Figure 5 includes a top opening (50), an outer flange (51), sides of the vessel (52) an inflection point (53) in the slope of the sides (52) of the vessel, and a bottom (54) of the vessel, The geometry calculations for the vessel have all been made assuming 50% ABV and 25 degrees C liquid. Since the cavitation energy will cause the liquid to heat up during the process, this will cause the speed of the liquid to change, and the height of the liquid/air interface needed to maintain the standing wave at the given frequency will change. One way around this problem is to change the frequency of the sound waves to compensate for this. Experimentation shows that the temperature of the liquid could rise by about 15 Deg C. Calculations show that the frequency change required for this change is about 1 Khz. The self-tuning function described earlier can easily accommodate this change if it is implemented periodically during the process of aging the alcohol. Similarly, the frequency must change for different ABV values of liquid used. Calculations also show that the difference in frequency from 40% ABV to 65% ABV is about 2Khz. The self-tuning function process steps executed at the start of the aging process can easily accommodate these differences. Changes in volume due to evaporation are minor but are also easily accommodated by the self-tuning process run periodically during the process. In an anticipated embodiment for industrial scale aging, there may be a flow of liquid through the vessel for continuous flow processing, which may lead to more significant changes in volume based on differences in input and output volumetric flow. In this case the change in liquid mass may be significant to the process and the self-tuning process may be required to be implemented at shorter time intervals to compensate for the continuous mass changes within the vessel.

[00049] Another factor effecting the frequency is the bonding interface between the transducer and the vessel. While this effect is small, it can be a source of variation in manufacturing that would normally cause problems but is automatically adapted to in the disclosed invention’s self-tuning process.

[00050] An additional way to make sure that the oak chips do not float or otherwise move away from the center of the vessel horizontally is to provide the oak chips in tea bags or some other bag that will keep them together in the center area of the vessel.

[00051] Another solution to the issue of making sure the oak chips are in an area with as many cavitation bubbles as possible is to make the diameter of the vessel sides (52) small enough diameter such that the oak chips neither float on top, nor sit on the bottom, but are stacked within the vessel vertically. An inflection point (53), or possibly multiple inflection points, of the slope of the sides (52) of the vessel may also be used in this manner to limit movement of the wood ships. The diameter of the vessel (55) can be designed so that with the oak chips and the liquid, the height is still an integer increment of % Lambda.

[00052] Figure 6 are an illustration of prior art representations of the flavors imparted by wood chips. The flavor imparted into the alcohol by the wood chips, is very heavily dependent on the temperature at which the wood chips are toasted. For American white oak chips, the chart in Figure 6 shows some of the flavors created by various toasting temperatures. Toasted oak chips are not typically sold by flavor profile, but instead by toast levels, such as extra light, light, medium, medium plus, heavy and char The actual toast level varies from one supplier to another, and even from one batch to another from the same supplier. Using commercial ovens, we toast our chips to specific flavor profiles by controlling the temperature and time very precisely. Chemical analysis of the flavor compounds imparted into the alcohol will be published so that the user knows exactly what they are getting when they order the wood chips. To ensure measuring only the flavor compounds imparted by the woods, and not the grains used in making the alcohol itself, alcohol with as neutral a flavor as possible is used for flavor profiling. In this case, vodka or grain alcohol is used to compare flavors imparted by the materials used in the aging process.

[00053] Figure 7 is an example of wood chip particle size distribution used within the device for rapid infusion of flavor. In this embodiment, wood chips of a mean value of 0.50 inches were used with the smallest wood chip particles of 0.10 inches width. Adding wood chips to the liquid directly causes several undesirable cleanup issues for the user. The wood chips need to be removed from the final drink, small bits of leftover wood chips and sediment need to be removed or filtered, and small pieces of wood chips can get into the drain and cause it to become blocked. To alleviate these issues, in one embodiment the wood chips are supplied for the process in premeasured teabag like bags made of natural fibers such as cotton. These bags may also be made from stainless mesh or other food-compatible materials. For the user, this ensures uniformity in adding the appropriate amount of wood chips for a particular volume of liquid, and cleanup afterwards simple. No filtering is required if using a properly sized particle distribution with the smallest particles larger than the mesh size of the containment pouch. Some users may decide to add a filtration step anyway in instances where a very small amount of sediment may be present. Approximately 4 bags of woods chips is appropriate for 375mL of liquid, and 8 bags is appropriate for 750mL of liquid. The tea bags in this embodiment for reference contain approximately 5 cubic inches of wood chips. At the end of a treatment of the liquid, the tea bags are removed, discarded, and the machine is drained.

[00054] Figure 8 demonstrates the feedback control implemented within the device to control the electronic transducer operation. The first 6 blocks of the flow chart show the system start-up procedure based on user input. First, this embodiment has an LED indicator (71) pulsing to indicate power for the circuit. Second, the user pushes the timer button (72) inputting the desired number of minutes of operation, within a 15 second timer (73) set from the first button push to be able to count number of times the timer button (72) is pushed, which increments in terms of 8 minutes for each button push employing a counter (74). Once the timer (72) expires the system has an input time check (75) to ensure that the user did not input an unreasonable total time to operate. (60 minutes in this example.) If the counter has exceeded an input of 60minutes, then a limiting step (76) of 60 minutes is used as the maximum time of operation. The transducer is then operated (77) at a lower than calculated maximum frequency to initiate the process. In this embodiment, 36kHz is used as the starting frequency. The LED indicators (71) change to flashing to feedback system status to the operator. The frequency is then increased (78) in steps and the power calculated by measuring the voltage and current. The power calculated is compared to a stored fixed value (78) and the frequency is decreased (79) if this maximum power is ever reached. Waiting a set time (80) is then initiated before repeating the self-tuning process. In this embodiment the wait time is set at 2 minutes (80) prior to returning to the chosen starting set point (77) of the transducer. In this manner, as situations change in the mass or temperature of the material being exposed to the ultrasonics, the self-tuning process will find the appropriate power level in a timely manner. A separate counter (81) keeps track of the total operating time and turns off the transducer (82) while changing the LED blinking rate and sounding a buzzer to inform the user of a completed system cycle.

[00055] Figure 9 is a process flow for operation of the invented device to rapidly infuse liquids. The overall process of aging a 750mL bottle of alcohol is to first pour the alcohol into the machine (90), then add the desired amount of toasted wood chips (approximately 8 bags) (91) of the desired flavor profile(s). Then start the machine (92) and allow the machine to run for the desired amount of time (93). Based on testing of the invention, 24 minutes of operation is equivalent to approximately 9 years of barrel aging. Then remove the bags of wood chips (94) and add new bags if more aging is required. Testing of the device has shown that additional flavor impact from the bags becomes very depleted after approximately 30 minutes of operation within the device. Therefore, if 30 minutes of treatment is reached (95), then the bags of wood chips should be replaced (96). The treatment of the liquid may be repeated as desired. Drain the rapidly aged liquid from the machine (97) into a storage or serving container. Then, clean the machine (99). Any leftover liquid or sediment may be wiped out with a clean cloth or paper towel, water may be flushed through the machine, or additional cleaning may be accomplished by adding water back into the machine, and letting it run for a few minutes, allowing the ultrasonic energy to accomplish a “self-cleaning”. If the machine has recirculation tubes, the machine can pump water through the tubes as part of the cleaning process.

[00056] The machine could be used for other liquors, such as flavoring vodka. To infuse vodka with a flavor such as blackberry, the fruit is usually placed into the vodka and allowed to sit for an extended period of time. Our machine allows the user to place the berries inside the alcohol with or without being placed within the tea bags and quickly (less than 30 minutes) enjoy a flavored vodka or whisky that has no artificial flavors or colors added. In the case of citrus flavored drinks, the user usually has to peel the lemons, limes or oranges, and remove the white matter which is bitter. Zesting the peel is another common method to be able to use the flavorful portion of the citrus without the bitter parts. Our machine eliminates the need for these steps as the user can simply place whole lemons, limes or oranges into the machine, and the ultrasonic cavitation energy will cause the peel to release the flavor compounds directly into the liquor or other liquid, such as water. The citrus produce is then still available to be eaten or used in any other manner since the inside of the item has remained undisturbed.

[00057] This machine can be used for other applications such as dissolving items into liquid that can be difficult to do otherwise. An example is minerals to be dissolved into water to create mineral water. Typical systems require the minerals to soak in the water for extended periods of time. The ultrasonic energy instead helps dissolve the minerals in a fraction of the time.

[00058] Crafting custom gin rapidly is also possible Simply adding your own juniper and other botanicals in your flavor bags to a neutral liqueur lets the end user craft their own custom gin product in a very rapid manner.

[00059] By adding a heating element to the device, it can be used to create a number of tinctures such as cannabis tincture.

To use this machine to make tincture directly, the bowl can be filled with a volume of water, and the user can place the cannabis and a lower proof alcohol into a heat resistant plastic resealable bag. This bag can be added to the water in the machine. Heat can be applied to activate the THC and then ultrasonic energy can be applied to rapidly dissolve the cannabis oils into the alcohol. The remaining alcohol may be evaporated or boiled off in a safe manner, or the alcohol may be used as a drink by itself or as an additive to another cocktail.

[00060] Figure 10 is a graph of the color/flavor infusion over time on 750mL of alcohol with a typical amount of small wood chips, with a fixed 60W of applied transducer power. Color and flavor are extracted from the wood and imparted into the alcohol by the ultrasonic energy at a very rapid rate, but since the wood chips have a finite amount of flavor compounds and color to give, there comes a point of diminishing returns. At some point continuing the process will not provide any additional flavor or color. Increasing the power level of the ultrasonic energy applied will steepen the slope of the curve and speed up the process, as will increasing the surface area of the wood. Decreasing the power or the surface area of the wood will likewise lower the slope of the curve and increase the amount of time necessary to achieve the same results. Increasing the amount of wood chips used will also allow the user to increase the flavor and color (thus the effective aging) over the same period. In one embodiment it is possible for the machine to achieve the equivalent of 9 years of aging in a barrel, in only 24 minutes. However, there is a minimum particle size required for effective flavoring when using wood chip medium, and a maximum useful size of wood chip given the desired size of the treatment vessel.

[00061] Another embodiment of the device, aeration may be added to the liquid. This may be done directly by pumping air, oxygen or some other desirable gas into the liquid, or by means of a pump to draw liquid out of the vessel and into tubing before allowing the liquid to fall back into the liquid, causing air to enter into the liquid.

[00062] Figure 11 is an embodiment of the closed loop control circuit schematic design for the infusion transducer (2). The schematic details use of at least one microprocessor in combination with the use of a Push-Pull amplifier circuit to provide input to the ultrasonic transducer. Included within the design is the capability to monitor the power to the transducer and to control the output frequency of the push pull signal to the transducer. Output power is proportional to frequency applied to the transducer and thus the microprocessor changes output power by changing output frequency. A microprocessor is used to measure the output voltage and output current to calculate the power of the transducer to perform closed loop control of the ultrasonic transducer’s power level. Additional transistors have also been built into the circuit to provide instantaneous overcurrent protection to the Push-Pull transistors.

[00063] A Push-Pull circuit is used to drive the output transformer for many reasons. It is the preferred design when a low voltage DC input is desired to be changed to a high voltage AC output. It uses two “N” type MOSFET devices that have three times the ratings of comparable “P” type devices that are necessary for competing designs. Its transformer is smaller and easier to build than single device designs. Control can be accomplished directly from a microcontroller without the necessity of adding other interface components. The Push-Pull transistors are alternately switched on and off, periodically reversing the current in the transformer. Therefore, current is drawn from the input during both halves of the switching cycle. This contrasts with other converters in which the input current is supplied by a single transistor which is switched on and off, so current is only drawn from the input during half the switching cycle. During the other half cycle, the output power is supplied by energy stored in inductors or capacitors in the power supply. Push-Pull converters have steadier input current and are more efficient in higher power applications.

[00064] In this embodiment, regulator U1 (110) provides 5 volts of DC power to microprocessor U2 (111). Microprocessor U2 (111) performs the functions of; output of the Push- Pull drive signal, measures output voltage, measures output current, controls indicator LEDs (126), controls output audible indicator (125), and performs closed loop control of output frequency of push pull signal based on power calculations made from measurements of the voltage and current. The operational amplifier U3 (112) measures the output current and sums the two channels, then passes it to microcontroller U2 (111). In this embodiment, transistor QI (113) and transistor Q4 (116) act to control the input voltage to the Push-Pull stage of the circuit. They are designed to slowly turn on the input voltage to the large input capacitor to avoid large input surge currents. Transistor Q7 (117) and transistor Q8 (118) create the drive for the Push-Pull amplification stage. [00065] Transistor Q2 (114) and transistor Q3 (115) act to provide instantaneous over current protection to the Push-Pull transistors. They turn on to pull the Push-Pull drive voltage down if the current through a sense resistor causes too high of a voltage, thus acting as a current limiting device. The TX1 in the schematic is a transformer (120) that amplifies the voltage of the Push-Pull stage many times and provides isolation to the output signal to the transducer (121,122). The control circuit includes LSI, which is an audio indicator (125) within the control circuit to provide audible feedback during operation to the operator. LEDs (126) are also used to communicate the operating status to the user.