Patent Abstract:
The present invention provides an apparatus for delivering a beverage under pressure from a container to a dispensing means. The apparatus has a heat exchanger, a tank for holding a quantity of a coolant fluid and a reservoir for holding a quantity of the beverage. The reservoir is located in the tank for submersion in the coolant fluid. A first conduit delivers the beverage from the container to the heat exchanger while a second conduit delivers beverage to the reservoir. A third conduit delivers beverage from the reservoir to the dispensing means. The invention allows for the delivery of cold beverage form the container over a distance to the dispensing means.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
   The present invention relates to apparatuses and processes for cooling and dispensing beverages. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   Draught beverages in restaurants, bars, stadiums and other public facilities are dispensed using systems that consist of a storage container that is kept cool in a remote refrigerator. Typically, a cooled supply line takes the beverage to a dispensing faucet. Generally, the beverages are stored in containers that are kept in remote walk-in refrigerators that are also used to chill foods as required by the facility&#39;s kitchen. Drinks may be dispensed at a location several hundred feet away from the storage container. The beverage trunk line used to transport the beverage to the dispensing tap is generally made up of a multi-line insulated construction that contains two central cooling liquid lines that will bring a cold glycol/water mixture or ice water to the dispensing faucet and back to maintain the beverage&#39;s temperature. This system has the drawback of providing inconsistent cooling performance. This is due to the fact that the temperature inside the walk-in cooler can fluctuate widely as personnel enter and exit during busy times. Also, the beverage trunk line can travel through areas of varying ambient temperatures thereby raising the beverage temperature. 
   There have been attempts to overcome these problems. These attempts have included the use of a heat exchanger placed near the tap to chill the beverage with a glycol/water mixture or ice water just before it is dispensed. These methods also have drawbacks. Efficient heat exchangers rely on exposing a large surface area of beverage to the cooling liquid. This inherently limits the volume of beverage that can be reasonably kept inside an efficient heat exchanger. Beverages are poured in batches or servings and the dwell time between servings enhances cooling rates. If the frequency of servings becomes too great, the temperature of the beverage will increase as dwell time is minimized. Usually, only a fraction of the volume of a full serving resides in the heat exchanger. This fraction of the beverage will mix with any warm beverage that is found between the heat exchanger and the tap. It will also mix with beverage that passes quickly through the heat exchanger with a limited or no dwell time. This results in a beverage being served at temperatures warmer than desired. 
   There is therefore a need for a beverage dispensing apparatus that dispenses cold beverage servings even where the beverage must be delivered over a significant distance and where there are significant periods of time between consecutive pours. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
   The present invention provides a method and apparatus for delivering a beverage under pressure through a distribution conduit to a dispensing means. The beverage is preferably a carbonated beverage and most preferably is beer. The apparatus of the present invention has a heat exchanger and a reservoir. The reservoir is submerged in a coolant fluid located in a housing. Preferably, the heat exchanger is also submerged in coolant fluid. The beverage is transmitted through a conduit from a container through the heat exchanger then through the reservoir to a dispensing means. The reservoir holds a quantity of beverage between dispensing events. This provides additional cooling between such dispensing events. 
   According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for delivering a beverage under pressure from a container to a dispensing means comprising:
         a heat exchanger defining a first passageway having an inlet and an outlet through which the beverage may be delivered, the heat exchanger further defining a second passageway having an inlet and an outlet for delivering a coolant fluid through the heat exchanger in sufficient proximity to the first passageway to permit heat exchange between the coolant fluid and the beverage;   a tank for holding a quantity of a coolant fluid;   a reservoir for holding a quantity of the beverage, the reservoir being located in the tank for submersion in said coolant fluid, the reservoir defining an inlet and an outlet and a passageway between the inlet and the outlet;   a first conduit for delivering the beverage from the container to the inlet of the first passageway of the heat exchanger;   a second conduit for delivering beverage from the outlet of the heat exchanger to the inlet of the reservoir;   a third conduit for delivering beverage from the reservoir to the dispensing means.       

   According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for delivering a beverage under pressure from a container to a dispensing means comprising:
         a housing defining a chamber for holding a quantity of a coolant fluid, the housing further defining an inlet and an outlet;   a heat exchanger located in the chamber, the heat exchanger defining a inlet, an outlet and   a passageway communicating between the inlet and the outlet.   a reservoir located in the chamber, the reservoir defining a storage chamber for holding a quantity of the beverage, said reservoir further defining an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the storage chamber;   a first beverage conduit received in the inlet of the housing and the inlet of the heat exchanger for delivering beverage to the passageway of the heat exchanger;   a second beverage conduit received in the outlet of the heat exchanger for delivering the beverage to the reservoir, the second beverage conduit being received in the inlet of the reservoir; and   a third beverage conduit for delivering the beverage from the outlet of the reservoir to the dispensing means.       

   According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for delivering a beverage under pressure from a container to a dispensing means comprising:
         a housing defining a chamber for holding a quantity of a coolant fluid, the housing further defining an inlet and an outlet;   a heat exchanging means located in the chamber, the heat exchanging means defining a beverage passageway having an inlet and an outlet;   a reservoir located in the chamber for holding a quantity of the beverage, the reservoir having an inlet an outlet;   a beverage conduit communicating between the container, the heat exchanging means, the reservoir and the dispensing means to define a beverage flow path from the container through the heat exchanging means and the reservoir to the dispensing means;   a source of coolant fluid for delivering coolant fluid to the housing; and   a coolant fluid conduit for communicating between the heat exchange means and the source of coolant fluid to define a flow path between the heat exchange means and the source of coolant fluid.       

   According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for delivering a beverage under pressure through a distribution line to a dispensing means. The method involves proving a source of beverage under pressure. The method involves delivering the beverage through a heat exchanger and then delivering the beverage to a reservoir that is submerged in a coolant fluid. The method involves storing the beverage in the reservoir and then dispensing the beverage from the reservoir through a dispensing means. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention connected to a beverage container and a source of a coolant fluid; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the beverage dispensing apparatus of the present invention taken along lines  2 — 2  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
   A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Apparatus  1  has a housing  2 . The apparatus is preferably located in a beverage tower  70  that has a dispensing means  72  which is preferably a dispensing tap. 
   The apparatus is used in conjunction with a beverage container  86  which is preferably a beer keg. The beverage in the container  86  is preferably kept under pressure by a pressurizing means  80  which is connected to the beverage container  86 . In addition, the apparatus  1  is preferably used in combination with a source  88  of coolant fluid. Preferably, the source  88  is a glycol tank and the coolant fluid is glycol. Other coolant fluids such as ice water can also be used for the purposes of the present invention. Preferably, the container  86 , the pressurizing means  80  and the source  88  are located in a refrigeration unit  100  such as a walk-in refrigerator. 
   A beverage conduit  94  communicates between the container and the apparatus  1 . A coolant fluid supply conduit  90  and a coolant fluid return conduit  96  communicate between the source  88  and the apparatus  1 . Preferably, beverage conduit  94 , coolant fluid supply conduit  90  and coolant fluid return conduit  96  are located in close proximity in a trunk line  4  that communicates between the refrigeration unit  100  and the apparatus  1 . This provides an additional cooling benefit as the beverage in the beverage conduit is kept in close proximity to the coolant fluid in the coolant fluid supply conduit  90  and the coolant fluid return conduit  96 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the housing  2  defines a chamber  36 . The housing is preferably insulated. In the preferred embodiment, the chamber is L-shaped having a first section  22  and second section  26 . It will be readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the chamber need not be of any particular shape nor is it essential that the chamber have discrete sections. The chamber  36  can assume various different shapes for the purposes of the present invention. The housing may also be provided in the form of a tank. 
   The housing has an inlet  10  for receiving the beverage conduit  94 . The housing further defines an outlet  12  for receiving coolant fluid return conduit  96 . In addition, the housing has an outlet  38  for receiving a third beverage conduit  48  and an inlet  24  for receiving the coolant fluid supply conduit  90 . 
   A heat exchanger  6  is preferably located in the chamber  36 . In the preferred embodiment, the heat exchanger  6  is located in the first section  22  of the chamber  36 . In alternate embodiments, it is possible for the heat exchanger  6  to be located outside of the housing  2 . In yet another alternate embodiment it is possible to separate the first section  22  of the chamber  36  from the second section  26  of the chamber  36  with a fluid impermeable barrier such that it is possible to fill only the second section  26  of the chamber  36  with a coolant fluid while leaving the first section of the chamber  22  free of coolant fluid. 
   In the preferred embodiment, the heat exchanger has a housing  8 . The heat exchanger  6  is preferably a flat plate heat exchanger known in the art. As is known to a person skilled in the art, a flat plate heat exchanger is a heat exchanger which imparts heat from one liquid to another. This heat exchanger is made from a series of plates that have been corrugated or dimpled to expand heat exchange area. The plates are stacked so that a passageways exist between the plates. Cooling and cooled liquids pass through alternate spaces so that heat exchange area is maximized. 
   In an alternate embodiment, the heat exchanger can be a coil in tube heat exchanger such that the heat exchanger defines a chamber for holding a quantity of the coolant fluid. In this alternate embodiment, a conduit in the form of a heat exchange coil is located in the chamber of the heat exchanger for transmitting the beverage through the coil thereby permitting heat exchange between the beverage in the coil and the coolant fluid in the chamber of the heat exchanger. The coil is made of an acceptable heat exchanging material known in the art such as stainless steel. 
   The housing  8  of the heat exchanger  6  has an inlet  14  for receiving the beverage conduit  94 . The housing  8  of the heat exchanger  6  further has an outlet  16  for receiving a second beverage conduit  30 . The housing  8  of the heat exchanger  6  further defines an inlet  20  for receiving coolant fluid from the chamber  36  and an outlet  18  for receiving the coolant fluid return conduit  96 . 
   In another alternate embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchanger  6  may not have a housing. It is possible to provide a the heat exchanger  6  in the form of a coil in the chamber  36  such that the coil is submerged in the coolant fluid and heat exchange can occur directly in the chamber  36  between beverage flowing through the coil and coolant fluid that is located in the chamber  36 . 
   A reservoir  40  is located in the chamber  36 . The reservoir by definition defines a space therein for holding a quantity of liquid beverage. The reservoir  40  is preferably elongate in shape and located in the second section  26  of the chamber  36 . However, the reservoir  40  is not to be limited to any particular shape and may be located in any of various locations in the chamber  36 . In the preferred embodiment the reservoir has a fin  46  on an exterior surface of the reservoir  40 . The fin  46  allows for greater contact area between the reservoir  40  and the coolant fluid in the chamber  36  to enhance heat transfer from the beverage to the coolant fluid. However, in other embodiments, the fin need not be present. 
   The reservoir  40  defines an inlet  42  for receiving second beverage conduit  30  and an outlet for receiving the third beverage conduit  48 . The third beverage conduit  48  conduit is connected to the dispensing means  72 . 
   In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coolant fluid is glycol and is delivered from the glycol tank  88  into the chamber  36  through the inlet  24  via the coolant fluid supply conduit  90 . The chamber is preferably filled with glycol so that the reservoir  40  and the heat exchanger  6  are completely submerged in glycol. The glycol in the chamber  36  enters the heat exchanger  6  through the inlet  16 , circulates through the heat exchanger  6  and leaves the heat exchanger  6  through the coolant fluid return conduit  96 . The coolant fluid is circulated back to the source  88  through the coolant fluid return conduit  96  and then re-circulated back to the chamber  36  as discussed above. 
   In the preferred embodiment, beer is delivered from the container  86  which is a beer keg through the beverage conduit  94  to the housing  2 . The beer is then delivered through beverage conduit  94  to the heat exchanger. In the preferred embodiment, the beer enters the coil in the heat exchanger from the beverage conduit  94 . Heat exchange occurs between the beer in the coil and the coolant fluid as the beer travels through the coil thereby cooling the beer. The coil is continuous with the second beverage conduit  30  so that the beer leaves the heat exchanger  6  through the second beverage conduit  30 . The beer flows through the second beverage conduit  30  into the reservoir  40 . The beer remains in the reservoir  40  until the dispensing means  72  is actuated causing the beer to flow through the outlet  44  into the third beverage conduit  48  and through the dispensing means. The reservoir provides an additional cooling benefit as the beer remains in the reservoir and is cooled by the surrounding coolant fluid between pours or dispensing events. 
   An alternate embodiment  50  of an apparatus the present invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . The alternate embodiment also is used in association with a beverage container in which the beverage is preferably kept under pressure by a pressurizing means. In addition, the apparatus  50  is also preferably used in combination with a source of coolant fluid. Preferably, the container, the pressurizing means and the source of coolant fluid are also located in a refrigeration unit such as a walk-in refrigerator. 
   The apparatus  50  has a housing  52  preferably having insulation  60 . The housing defines a chamber  54 . A heat exchange coil  64  is located in the chamber  54 . The coil surrounds a reservoir  56  that is also located in the chamber  54 . The reservoir defines a reservoir chamber  58 . A coolant fluid is introduced into the chamber  54  through conduit  106 . The coolant fluid is again preferably glycol. The coolant fluid leaves the chamber through conduit  104 . 
   A probe  98  is preferably located in the second section  26  of the chamber  36 . The probe  98  measures the temperature of the coolant fluid and is adapted to preferably cooperate with sensors to send a signal to the refrigeration unit for the coolant fluid so that the refrigeration unit may be alternately turned on or off in order to regulate the temperature of the coolant fluid in the chamber  36 . 
   In operation, the chamber  54  is filled with coolant fluid so that the heat exchange coil  64  is completely submerged in the coolant fluid. The beverage which is again preferably beer enters the coil through conduit  62 . The beer flows through the coil where heat exchange occurs between the beer in the coil and the coolant fluid in the chamber  54 . The beer flows from the coil  64  through a conduit  66  into the reservoir  56 . The beer remains in the reservoir  56  until the dispensing means is actuated causing the beer to flow through conduit  102  to the dispensing means. The reservoir again provides an additional cooling benefit as the beer remains in the reservoir and is cooled by the surrounding coolant fluid between pours or dispensing events. 
   Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1