Abstract:
A method and device which provides visual means to confirm the level of liquid in an opaque container, by operating an adjacent transparent gauge tube which is in correspondence with the liquid on the inside of container, notwithstanding the pressurized condition of the liquid, while maintaining the pressure above the liquid in the gauge tube at the same level as the pressure above the liquid in the container.

Description:
[0001]    Related to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/701,514, dated Jul. 13, 2006 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    All bar or restaurant owners have a problem monitoring the amount of beer remaining in a beer keg or being dispensed by a bartender, without some form of metering device. 
         [0003]    The owner firstly depends upon the distributor to deliver a full keg of beer. The owner may then incur various losses when tapping the keg and when beer is dispensed. He assumes that each mug of beer that is filled, contains the correct number of ounces, and he further assumes that the bartender collects the correct amount of money for every mug poured. 
         [0004]    Each part of this process has inherent difficulties and contributes to a possible loss of income to the restaurant owner. Adding up all the various possible losses, the restaurant owner can expect to waste about 15 percent of his profits. This profit loss is presently commercially undetectable, and is usually absorbed by the restaurant owner. 
         [0005]    It is therefore desired to obtain a visual indication of the level of liquid in a container of opaque material such as wood, metal or the like. This may be accomplished by means of a separate vertically extended tube or sight gauge, preferably of transparent material such as glass or plastic, provided with suitable calibrated gradations. The lower end of the tube is connected in communication with the liquid in the container so that the liquid level in the tube and the container will remain the same when the pressure, which may be atmospheric pressure, on the surface of the liquid in the container and the tube is the same. In light of this, as liquid is removed from the container, the level of the liquid in the tube will follow exactly the level of liquid in the container. This then provides a constant indicator of the exact level of liquid in the container. 
         [0006]    There is therefore a need for a corresponding gauge which could be used specifically with liquid dispensed from a pressurized siphon container. 
         [0007]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,560, Sassak discloses a beer dispensing and monitoring method and apparatus, which delivers beer to a valve that is opened to dispense a predetermined weight of the beverage by monitoring the stages of reduced weight of the supply keg. 
         [0008]    This does not provide the constant visual demonstration and representation of the actual level of liquid or beer contained in the beer keg, as is provided in the present invention. 
         [0009]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,743, Chapman discloses an asymmetrical displacement flow meter which is an invention also contrary to the invention described in this disclosure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In view of the preceding, the invention disclosed herein provides a liquid level indicator adjacent a pressurized siphon container such as a beer keg or the like, in which the liquid is maintained under pressure for the purpose of periodic dispensing through the dispensing conduit. The invention can easily be operated when said indicator is attached to the side of the container to be measured, or is located even at a remote location. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0011]    The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to accompanying  FIG. 1 , which is a schematic illustration of the invention in conjunction with the layout of a pressurized siphon container. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]    The objectives of the invention are accomplished by the provision of a gauge tube  3 , extending vertically and having an upper end  14  in communication with the interior of the container  2  and an associated source of pressurized gas  5  and a lower end  8  in communication with the container outlet  7  and the point of use  12  at a remote location by means of independent conduits  13 ,  15  which are vertically extended upwards. The gauge tube in the preferred embodiment is transparent or translucent, but could be colored if desired. Alternatively, the tube could be opaque, with other means used to detect the fluid level in the tube, such as an ultrasonic transmitter and transducer, for example. 
         [0013]    A floating ball check valve  11  is contained within the gauge tube  3  for the purpose of preventing any flow of pressurized gas introduced into the tube upper end  14  from reaching beyond the lower end  8  of the gauge tube during dispensing whereby the liquid level  10  and the floating ball  11  in the tube drops only to the lower end  8  of the gauge tube  3  during dispensing and immediately returns to the new liquid level of the container upon termination of such dispensing. 
         [0014]    This is accomplished by having the valve seat  9  at the lower end  8  of the gauge tube  3 , at or below the empty level measurement, and the floating ball  11  having freedom of movement within the gauge tube  3  making the gauge tube  3  the actual valve body. A second or more tube may be added vertically beside or at a remote location to the actual gauge tube and put in direct communication by means of independent conduit with the upper and lower ends  14 ,  8  of the gauge tube and also give the same level indication as the gauge tube. For simplicity, floating valve sealing member  11  is described as a ball. 
         [0015]    Other float valve configurations can be used, such as conical or elliptical, as well as other forms of valves, to suit particular liquid system requirements. Also either a manual or electrically controlled three-way valve  16 ,  1  can be incorporated into either the pressurized gas upper end  14  or the liquid flow lower end or both of the gauge tube  3  to prevent the complete or partial ejection of the liquid from the gauge tube  3  under the force of the pressurized gas  5  being introduced into the top of the gauge tube  14  and the resultant presence of gas in the dispensing conduit  13 . The three-way valve or valves  16 ,  1  would, in the first position, facilitate communication with the upper end  14  of the gauge tube  3  and the pressurized gas  5  in the container  2  and the lower end  8  of the gauge tube  3  and the liquid  6  in the container  2  in order to read the level of the liquid in the gauge tube  10 . 
         [0016]    In the second position, the valve or valves would facilitate communication between the associated pressurized gas source  5  and the gas inlet  4  of the container and also the liquid outlet of the container  7  and the point of use at a remote location  12  in order to dispense the liquid from the container  2  and prevent the ejection of the liquid from the gauge tube  3 . A shut-off valve or valves  16 ,  1  being manual or electrically controlled can be placed at either the upper end  14  or lower end  8  or both of the gauge tube  3  in order to facilitate normal dispensing from the container  2  whereby when either one or both of the shut-off valves is closed with out the ejection of the liquid from the gauge tube lower end  8  under the force of the pressurized gas  5  being introduced into the upper end  14  of the gauge tube  3  and the resultant presence of the pressurized gas in the dispensing conduit  13 . 
         [0017]    Subsequently, the shut-off valve or valves  16 ,  1  would facilitate communication between the upper end of the gauge tube  14  and the associated pressurized gas source  5  and the pressurized gas in the container  4  as well as communication between the lower end of the gauge tube  8  and the liquid outlet of the container  7  and the point of use at a remote location  12  in order to accurately read the level of liquid in the gauge tube  10  and ultimately the container  6  only when the valve or valves are in the open position and no dispensing of the liquid is taking place. 
         [0018]    Also a rapid gas flow preventing check valve  19  could be incorporated within the gauge tube upper end  14  to prevent the rapid flow of pressurized gas  5  into the gauge tube  3  and subsequent ejection of the liquid from the gauge tube  3  and dispensing conduit  13  during periodic or constant dispensing of the liquid in the container  2 . This rapid gas flow check valve  19  would, when calibrated to pressure of the associated source of pressurized gas  5  used for dispensing the liquid, facilitate an accurate read in the gauge tube  3  of the level of the liquid in the container  6  at all times and be unaffected by the periodic or constant dispensing of the liquid from the container  2 . 
         [0019]    With this configuration, the level of liquid in the gauge tube corresponds to the level of liquid in the pressurized siphon container, notwithstanding the pressurization, because the pressure above the liquid in the gauge tube is the same as the pressure above the liquid in the container.