Patent Publication Number: US-2013251868-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for beverage production and dispensing

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY INFORMATION 
     This application claims the benefit of co-pending, prior filed U.S. provisional application no. 61/685,542, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Beverage Production and Dispensing”, filed Mar. 20, 2012. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to beverage technology, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for the production and dispensing of tea beverages and other beverages. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Tea beverages are most often produced either by brewing the tea in ready to drink proportions, or by mixing a tea concentrate with water. 
     For tea beverages made from tea concentrates, two processes are generally used. In one process, the concentrate is produced at one facility and shipped to another (such as a restaurant or convenience store) for diluting with water and dispensing at finished-beverage strength. 
     In the second process, tea concentrate is produced locally at the dispensing site, and diluted with water (to form finished-beverage strength tea) either at the time of brewing, or shortly thereafter, for example in a tea urn. In these locally-produced-concentrate processes, the diluent water is mixed with the concentrate before the time of dispensing, and the finished-beverage strength tea is held in a container for dispensing. 
     Each of these concentrate processes has several drawbacks. For example, the first suffers from lack of freshness and high shipping costs, among others. The second suffers from a short shelf life (due to souring from mixing with cold water or otherwise non-aseptic handling) and from low output capacity, among others. Also, brewing at ready to drink proportions suffers from similar problems to those of existing locally-produced-concentrate processes, among others. 
     Therefore, a need has arisen for an improved tea beverage production system and method for production of tea beverages, and which also may be used to produce other beverages, such as, without limitation, coffee beverages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, methods and apparatus for the production of tea beverages and other beverages are provided which eliminate or substantially reduce problems associated with prior art systems. 
     In a particular embodiment, a beverage production system, located at a single facility, is provided that includes a brewer operable to brew a beverage concentrate, a water source, a heat exchanger receiving brewed concentrate from the brewer and water from the water source. The water cools the brewed concentrate in the heat exchanger, a pump pumps the beverage concentrate and water through the heat exchanger, and a dispensing valve dispenses the beverage concentrate and water that has been pumped through the heat exchanger for mixing to form a finished beverage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference is made in the description to the following briefly described drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding elements: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a beverage production and dispensing system according to one aspect of the teachings of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a beverage production and dispensing system according to one aspect of the teachings of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a beverage production system  10  according to one aspect of the teachings of the present invention. As shown, system  10  includes a brewer  12  that brews beverage concentrate. In a preferred embodiment, the beverage concentrate is a tea concentrate. However, other concentrates, such as, without limitation, coffee concentrates, may also be brewed. The system  10  (and the corresponding method of production) is located (or performed) at a single facility (such as, without limitation, a restaurant or convenience store). 
     The brewed concentrate is brewed into a receptacle  14 , which is preferably insulated. Prior to dispensing, concentrate from the receptacle  14  flows through a heat exchanger  16 . Heat exchanger  16  may be any suitable heat exchanger. Brewed concentrate flows in one or more conduits or chambers through the heat exchanger  16 , and is cooled with the aid of a coolant flowing through the heat exchanger  16  (coolant flow is separate from the brewed concentrate flow). In a preferred embodiment, the coolant is water that will, at the time of dispensing, be mixed with the brewed concentrate to form a finished, single-strength, beverage. As shown in  FIG. 1 , water line  18  and cooled brewed concentrate line  20  exit heat exchanger  16 . Water line  18  contains the coolant water that flowed through the heat exchanger  16  to cool the brewed concentrate. Cooled brewed concentrate line  20  contains cooled brewed concentrate. 
     These lines  18  and  20  are coupled to inlets of a pump  22 . Pump  22  pumps the water and concentrate from lines  18  and  20  to a dispensing valve  24 , which is generally activated by a user. Pump  22  may be any suitable pump for pumping the water and concentrate through the system  10 , and preferably a ratio pump. One particular ratio is 4 parts concentrate to 1 part water. However, this example is without limitation, and any suitable concentration may be used. 
     Upon activation of the dispensing valve  24 , the water and brewed concentrate are mixed to form the finished beverage. The valve  24  may be any suitable beverage valve used for dispensing water and concentrate. Although the singular term “valve” is used, it includes both single and multi-valve (such as one valve for water and one for concentrate) systems. Typically, mixing occurs in or outside a nozzle  26  that receives the water and concentrate from the valve  24 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the receptacle  14 , heat exchanger  16 , pump  22 , and dispensing valve and nozzle  24  and  26  are contained in or coupled to a housing (or base)  28 , so that the system  10  is a self-contained unit. The brewer  12  may be part of the housing  28 , or separate. 
     Also, receptacle  14  may be detachably coupled to housing  28  and heat exchanger  16 . Thus, for example, brewing (from brewer  12  into receptacle  14 ) may take place remotely from the housing  28 . After such remote brewing, receptacle  14  (containing brewed concentrate) may be moved from the remote brewing location to the housing  28  and set in place for coupling with heat exchanger  16 . Alternatively, remote brewing into another container may be used, and the brewed concentrate in that container may be poured or otherwise transferred into receptacle  14 . Also, brewing may be local to housing  28 , with brewing directly into receptacle  14  as it is in place on housing  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , receptacle  14  includes a receiver  30  for receiving a disconnect  32  of base (housing)  28 . Receiver  30  and disconnect  32  allow coupling and decoupling of receptacle  14  to heat exchanger  16 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, the housing  28  is sized for placement on the counter of a store or restaurant. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the beverage concentrate is brewed at a temperature of at least about 180° Fahrenheit. Brewing at this temperature kills most biological contaminants, thus allowing the beverage concentrate, if handled properly, to enjoy a relatively long shelf life. However, this example is without limitation, and any suitable brewing temperature may be used. 
     Receptacle  14  is preferably an insulated container, although it need not be. Also, it is preferred that the receptacle  14  may be hermetically sealed, although it need not be. Hermetic sealing lengthens the shelf life of the beverage concentrate. As an example of sealing, the receptacle  14  may be sealed after receiving the brewed beverage concentrate, without limitation, by latching closed a hermetically sealing cover to the receptacle  14 . In another embodiment, the receptacle  14  may be coupled to the brewer as part of a closed brewing system in which brewed beverage concentrate flows into the receptacle through a passageway that is closed to the open environment. 
     Within this description, coupling includes both direct coupling of elements, and coupling indirectly through intermediate elements. Also, although brewing is the preferred method of producing the beverage concentrate, it may be produced in any conventional way, including, without limitation, steeping, with hot or cold water. 
     The particular embodiments and descriptions provided herein are illustrative examples only, and features and advantages of each example may be interchanged with, or added to the features and advantages in the other embodiments and examples herein. Moreover, as examples, they are meant to be without limitation as to other possible embodiments, are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention to any particular described detail, and the scope of the invention is meant to be broader than any example. Also, the present invention has several aspects, as described above, and they may stand alone, or be combined with some or all of the other aspects. 
     And, in general, although the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, alterations, substitutions, additions and modifications can be made without departing from the intended scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.