JP6929092B2 - Carbonated drink server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beverage server that dispenses beverages from an inverted beverage container.

Patent Document 1 describes a beverage server that dispenses beverages from an inverted beverage bottle. The beverage server of Patent Document 1 includes a lever cap provided with a cock and a spout, an air hole tube for preventing pulsation during beverage pouring, and a frame for holding the bottle in an inverted state, which is attached to the mouth of the bottle. It has a body etc. Patent Document 1 describes that, as an effect of the invention, a compact configuration suitable for storage in a household refrigerator is realized.

Utility Model Registration No. 3153303

When the beverage server of Patent Document 1 is stored in the door pocket of the refrigerator, it is usually impossible to dispense the beverage in the stored state because the wall on the front side of the door pocket is an obstacle. Further, since the beverage server of Patent Document 1 has a space for placing a glass or the like below the mouth of the bottle, the overall height is relatively high, and therefore it is considered that it often cannot be stored in the door pocket of the refrigerator.

The beverage server of Patent Document 1 is also applicable to bottles filled with carbonated beverages, but in that case, it is expected that the carbon dioxide gas volume of the beverage, and therefore the feeling of carbon dioxide, will decrease at an early stage. This is because in the beverage server of Patent Document 1, air is introduced into the bottle from the air hole tube in order to prevent pulsation at the time of pouring. Also, if the bottle is a PET bottle, the gas permeability of the material will further reduce the carbon dioxide volume of the beverage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inverted carbonated beverage server suitable for storage in a refrigerator door pocket, which suppresses a decrease in carbon dioxide gas volume of a beverage. And.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a beverage container filled with a carbonated beverage, a gas cartridge filled with carbon dioxide gas, a main body supporting the beverage container in an inverted state, and an inverted beverage. A beverage discharge path that is fluidly connected to the mouth of the container and reaches the outlet via a position higher than the tip of the mouth of the beverage container, a valve mechanism that opens and closes the beverage discharge path, and a valve mechanism. A carbonated beverage server comprising a gas introduction path for introducing carbon dioxide gas from a gas cartridge into a beverage container is provided.

According to the present invention, since the beverage dispensing path passes through a position higher than the mouth of the beverage container, not only is it suitable for storage in the door pocket of the refrigerator, but also the beverage can be dispensed in the state of being stored in the door pocket. It becomes possible to provide a possible carbonated beverage server. Further, due to the effect of carbon dioxide gas in the gas cartridge, it is possible to obtain the effect that the beverage in the beverage container can be completely discharged even though the beverage injection path passes through a position higher than the mouth of the beverage container.

The carbon dioxide from the gas cartridge not only helps to pour out the beverage, but also helps maintain the carbon dioxide volume in the beverage. Therefore, even if the beverage container is, for example, a PET bottle in which carbon dioxide gas is easily released, the carbon dioxide gas volume of the beverage in the beverage container is maintained for a long period of time, or at least the decrease is suppressed.

It is a schematic diagram which mainly shows the piping system of the carbonated drink server by embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the carbonated drink server by embodiment of this invention. It is a partial side view of the carbonated drink server shown in FIG. 2, and is a partial side view in which a main part is made into a cross section. It is a partial front view of the carbonated drink server shown in FIG. 2, and is a partial front view in which a main part is made into a cross section.

The carbonated beverage server 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The carbonated beverage server 100 includes, for example, a beverage container 5 filled with a carbonated beverage such as cola or carbonated water, and a gas cartridge 40 filled with carbon dioxide gas at a high pressure, as shown in FIG. , The beverage container 5 is supported in an inverted state and is configured to be suitable for storage in the door pocket 8 of the refrigerator.

Therefore, the carbonated beverage server 100 includes a beverage container 5 filled with a carbonated beverage, a gas cartridge 40 filled with carbon dioxide gas, a main body 10 that supports the beverage container 5 in an inverted state, and a mouth of the inverted beverage container. A beverage injection path 14 fluidly connected to the portion, the beverage injection path reaching the outlet 14b via a position higher than the tip of the mouth portion of the beverage container, a valve mechanism portion 20 for opening and closing the beverage injection path, and the like. A gas introduction path 16 for introducing carbon dioxide gas from the gas cartridge into the beverage container is provided as a main component.

In the following description of the present specification and in FIGS. 1 to 4, the beverage container 5 is exemplified as a bottle, but it will be clear that the beverage container 5 is not limited to the bottle. Beverages filled in the beverage container (hereinafter referred to as "bottle") 5 are not only non-alcoholic carbonated beverages such as cola and carbonated water, but also alcoholic carbonated beverages such as beer, sparkling liquor, and high balls. It may be a beverage. Further, the material of the bottle 5 may be a synthetic resin such as PET, metal or glass.

The main body 10 of the soft drink server 100 is a track of an athletics field, that is, a base portion 11 which is a rectangular block with rounded corners in a plan view, and a block having a rectangular shape with rounded corners in a plan view which is also integrally arranged on the upper surface of the base portion 11. A bottle support portion 12 is provided. It is assumed that the soft drink server 100 is stored in a general household refrigerator (not shown), so that the width dimension of the base 11 of the main body 10 is the inner dimension of the width of the refrigerator door pocket 8. Considering this, it is set to 12 cm or less.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottle support portion 12 has a bottle support hole 13 formed as a recess that is screwed into the mouth portion of the bottle 5 to vertically support it. Although not shown, a mouth packing is provided between the tip of the mouth of the bottle 5 and the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13 to prevent leakage of carbon dioxide gas. In the present embodiment, the material of the mouth packing is a binary fluororubber having a low transmittance for carbon dioxide gas. However, as the material for the mouth packing, for example, any one of ternary fluororubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and perfluoroelastomer may be used.

An inlet 14a of the beverage pouring path 14 is formed at the center of the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the beverage injection path 14 descends from the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13 and immediately extends laterally, and is an inverted S-shaped rising tube integrally connected to the side surface of the bottle support portion 12. Through 15, the valve mechanism portion 20 passes through the main member 22 described later, and reaches the outlet 14b at the tip of the pouring nozzle 30. Therefore, the beverage discharge path 14 reaches the outlet 14b via a position higher than the tip of the mouth portion of the bottle 5. Further, a reinforcing rib 15a for reinforcing the rising pipe 15 extends from the side surface of the bottle support portion 12 and the upper surface of the base portion 11. In the present embodiment, the rising pipe 15 is formed integrally with the main member 22 of the main body 10 and the valve case 21, but the rising pipe 15 is separate from the main member 22 of the main body 10 and the valve case 21. Is also possible, for example, a pipe flange joint or the like is formed and connected to the main member 22 of the main body 10 and the valve case 21.

By appropriately setting the vertical dimension and the lateral dimension of the inverted S-shaped rising pipe 15, the pouring nozzle 30 can be arranged outside the door pocket 8 of the refrigerator. As a result, the beverage can be dispensed even when the carbonated beverage server 100 is stored in the door pocket 8 of the refrigerator. When the carbonated beverage server 100 is placed outside the refrigerator, for example, on a table, the rising pipe 15 creates a space for a glass or the like between the table surface and the lower end of the pouring nozzle 30 together with the base 11 of the main body 10. ..

The bottle support portion 12 is also formed so that the gas cartridge 40 is connected, and therefore also has a screw stud 17 formed with a male screw to be screwed with the cartridge holder 41 holding the gas cartridge 40. The screw stud 17 is erected from the upper surface of the bottle support portion 12, and its end surface has a recess 17a into which the neck portion on the tip end side of the gas cartridge 40 fits. The inlet 16a of the gas introduction path 16 is provided in the center of the bottom surface of the recess 17a, while the outlet 16b of the gas introduction path 16 opens to the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13. The gas introduction path 16 extends inside the screw stud 17 and inside the bottle support portion 12 so as to connect the inlet 16a and the outlet 16b. Further, a hollow needle 18 that punctures a sealing plug (not shown) made of synthetic resin or rubber at the tip of the gas cartridge 40 is embedded and fixed in the bottom surface of the recess 17a. The central pipeline of the hollow needle 18 is fluidly connected to the gas introduction passage 16.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the outlet 16b of the gas introduction path 16 is open to the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13. That is, in the present embodiment, carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the bottle 5 from the gas cartridge 40 without providing an upright pipe or the like extending into the bottle from the outlet 16b of the gas introduction path 16. Also, since the inlet 14a of the beverage dispensing path 14 also opens to the bottom surface 13a of the bottle support hole 13, the carbonated beverage server 100 does not have any tube extending into the bottle 5. However, an embodiment of a carbonated beverage server having a pipe extending into the bottle 5 from the outlet 16b of the gas introduction path 16 is also possible in the present invention.

A cartridge packing 43 for preventing gas leakage between the gas cartridge 40 and the hollow needle 18 is interposed between the tip of the gas cartridge 40 and the bottom surface of the recess 17a of the screw stud 17. In the present embodiment, the material of the cartridge packing 43 is a binary fluororubber having a low transmittance for carbon dioxide gas. However, as the material of the cartridge packing 43, for example, any one of ternary fluororubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and perfluoroelastomer may be used.

At the lower end of the cartridge holder 41, a female screw that can be screwed into the male screw of the screw stud 17 is formed. The cartridge holder 41 has a pair of left and right ears 42 for hooking an operator's finger so that the cartridge holder 41 can be easily screwed into the screw stud 17.

The cartridge holder 41 has a holding space for holding a gas cartridge 40 having a cylindrical bottle shape or a cylinder shape. The lower end side portion of the holding space, that is, the portion accommodating the tip end side of about 1/4 of the total length of the gas cartridge 40 is formed by a wall surrounding the circumference of the gas cartridge 40. On the other hand, the portion of the holding space that accommodates the remaining about 3/4 of the total length is a groove-shaped space that is open on one side for attaching and detaching the gas cartridge 40. The holding space is formed with a width and length slightly larger than the outer diameter and the total length of the gas cartridge 40 so that the gas cartridge 40 fits snugly therein. In other words, the cartridge holder 41 in the present embodiment has a holding space dedicated to the gas cartridge 40 having a specific size.

Since the screw stud 17 and the cartridge holder 41 are configured as described above, when the gas cartridge 40 is attached and carbon dioxide gas is to be supplied into the bottle 5, for example, the following procedure may be executed.
1) The gas cartridge 40 is stored in advance in the holding space of the cartridge holder 41 that has been removed from the main body 10.
2) Open the bottle 5 filled with the carbonated beverage.
3) Screw the bottle 5 into the bottle support hole 13 of the main body 10. At this time, the bottle 5 is in an upright state, that is, the main body 10 is arranged on the upper side of the bottle 5 and screwed into the bottle support hole 13.
4) The cartridge holder 41 on which the gas cartridge 40 is mounted is screwed into the screw stud 17. At this time, as the screwing progresses, the tip of the hollow needle 18 pierces the synthetic resin or rubber sealing stopper (not shown) at the tip of the gas cartridge 40 toward the upper end of the gas cartridge 40. It moves relatively and penetrates the sealing plug by the time the screwing is completed, so that the carbon dioxide gas in the gas cartridge 40 is supplied into the bottle 5 through the hollow needle 18 and the gas introduction path 16. ..
5) Rotate the carbonated beverage server 100 so that the bottle 5 is inverted.

The valve mechanism portion 20 includes a valve case 21, a stepped cylindrical valve body 24, a plunger 25 connected to the valve body 24 for reciprocating the valve body 24 up and down, and a lever 26 operated by an operator. And a return spring 27 for returning the plunger 25 to the initial position.

The valve case 21 is composed of a substantially cylindrical main member 22 to which the rising pipe 15 and the dispensing nozzle 30 are connected, and a cap-shaped upper end member 23 that is screwed onto the main member 22 to support the lever 26. Will be done. Inside the main member 22, a portion of the beverage pouring path 14 is formed, and a cavity 28 for accommodating the valve body 24 and the plunger 25 is formed. A valve port 29 is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the cavity 28. The injection nozzle 30 extends downward from the bottom surface of the main member 22 with the valve port 29 as the center.

The valve body 24 is formed of a small diameter portion 24a and a large diameter portion 24b that close the valve opening 29, and the tip of the plunger 25 is fitted into the small diameter portion 24a and connected. Further, the vertical movement of the small diameter portion 24a of the valve body 24 is made possible by the deflection deformation of the disc-shaped portion of the large diameter portion 24b.

The lever 26 has a cam portion 26a around a rotation shaft 31 connected to the plunger 25, and the cam portion 26a is formed so that its rotation causes a vertical movement along the central axis of the plunger 25. Has been done. In the present embodiment, when the lever 26 is pushed downward, the small diameter portion 24a of the valve body 24 is pulled up from the valve opening 29 together with the plunger 25, and thus the beverage injection path 14 is opened. When the force for pushing the lever 26 is removed, the plunger 25 is pushed back by the force of the return spring 27, the valve port 29 is closed by the small diameter portion 21a of the valve body 24, and therefore the beverage pouring path 14 is closed. Note that FIG. 3 shows a state in which the beverage injection path 14 is closed.

When pouring out the beverage, the operator may push down the lever 26. Then, the beverage pouring path 14 is opened, and the beverage in the bottle 5 is dispensed from the pouring nozzle 30 based on the head pressure thereof and the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas supplied from the gas cartridge 40. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas supplied from the gas cartridge 40 acts on the beverage in the bottle 5, so that the level of the beverage in the bottle 5 is shown in FIG. Beverages can be dispensed even if they are located below the highest portion of the beverage dispensing channel 14. Further, in the carbonated beverage server 100, pulsation does not occur at the time of dispensing the beverage due to the effect of carbon dioxide gas from the gas cartridge 40, and therefore, the air holes and the like which have been conventionally required are not required.

Further, in the carbonated beverage server 100 according to the present embodiment, the carbon dioxide gas in the gas cartridge 40 not only helps to dispense the beverage in the bottle 5, but also maintains the carbon dioxide gas volume of the beverage, or at least carbon dioxide. It also works to suppress the decrease in gas volume. This effect is also enhanced by the lack of air holes to prevent pulsation. In particular, it will be understood that when the bottle 5 is a PET bottle in which carbon dioxide gas is easily released, or when the beverage is a strongly carbonated beverage, the benefits of the above-mentioned effects can be greatly enjoyed.

By the way, the gas cartridge 40 is manufactured and supplied by a gas cartridge manufacturer with a different filling amount, for example, 8 g, 12 g, 48 g, 74 g, etc. with a carbon dioxide gas mass. As the gas filling amount increases, at least one of the diameter and the total length of the gas cartridge 40 increases. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a carbon dioxide gas having a mass of 8 g is used. If the size of the cartridge holder 41 is increased, for example, a gas cartridge 40 having a carbon dioxide gas mass of 12 g can be mounted. However, the cartridge holder 41 in the present invention is not formed so as to be able to accommodate the gas cartridge 40 having a carbon dioxide gas mass of more than 20 g. Therefore, the gas cartridge 40 connected to the carbonated beverage server 100 according to the present invention is limited to those having a carbon dioxide gas mass of 20 g or less. By the way, when the mass of carbon dioxide gas is referred to in the present specification, the mass means the mass of carbon dioxide gas initially filled in the gas cartridge 40, that is, at the time of manufacture.

The carbonated beverage server 100 according to the present invention is configured in this way in order to consider the safety of the user. When the gas of the gas cartridge 40 having a carbon dioxide mass of 20 g leaks into a small refrigerator having an internal volume of 200 liters, for example, the carbon dioxide concentration in the refrigerator is about 5.5% at the maximum, and the concentration in the refrigerator is about 5.5%. It is judged to be an acceptable value. Therefore, in the present invention, the upper limit of the connectable gas cartridge 40 is a carbon dioxide gas mass of 20 g.

Other Embodiments An embodiment in which a spiral winding portion (not shown) is formed in the ascending pipe 15 and thus the beverage pouring path 14 is also possible. The spiral winding portion acts as a depressurizing means for the beverage, thereby preventing the beverage from being ejected from the pouring nozzle 30.

In the above-described embodiment, from the viewpoint of the gas flow path, only the hollow needle 18 is interposed between the gas cartridge 40 and the gas introduction path 16 of the valve case 21, but the screw stud 17 is the valve case. An embodiment in which the hollow needle 18 and the gas introduction path 16 are separated from 21 and fluid is communicated with a flexible tube is also possible in the present invention.

5 Bottle 10 Main body 12 Bottle support 13 Bottle support hole 14 Beverage injection path 16 Gas introduction path 20 Valve mechanism 23 Lever 24 Valve body 30 Injection nozzle 40 Gas cartridge 41 Cartridge holder 100 Soft drink server

Claims (4)

A synthetic resin beverage container filled with carbonated beverages and
A gas cartridge filled with carbon dioxide gas with a mass of 20 g or less,
The main body that supports the beverage container in an inverted state and
A beverage injection path fluidly connected to the mouth of the beverage container that is inverted and reaches the outlet via a position higher than the tip of the mouth of the beverage container.
A valve mechanism that opens and closes the beverage injection path,
A gas introduction path for introducing carbon dioxide gas from the gas cartridge into the beverage container,
It is a carbonated beverage server equipped with
Only the gas cartridge having a carbon dioxide mass of 20 g or less is connected to the gas introduction path .
The carbonated beverage server is further provided with at least one packing member for preventing the leakage of carbon dioxide gas.
A carbonated beverage server in which the packing member is formed by containing any one of binary fluororubber, ternary fluororubber, butyl rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, and perfluoroelastomer. The carbonated beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the main body has an external dimension of 12 cm or less in at least one direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the beverage container to be supported. The carbonated beverage server according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the beverage injection path has a spiral winding portion. The carbonated beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the gas cartridge is directly connected to the main body in an inverted state.

Images