Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and a device to dispense carbonated beverage from bottled soda while preventing the carbonation from escaping the soda bottle.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present invention claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent No. 61/595,197 filed on Feb 6, 2012. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The field of the invention relates to soda dispensers in general and more particularly to dispensing methods and devices for bottled carbonated beverages. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Carbonated beverages are commonly sold in a variety of containers. While two liter soda bottles are popular among consumers, if all their content is not consumed right after removing the cap for the first time or shortly thereafter, the remaining soda loses much of the carbonation, turns flat and goes to waste. 
         [0006]    Soda bottles are pressurized with carbon dioxide to higher than the ambient atmospheric pressure in the bottling companies. The dissolved carbon dioxide in the soda remains in a dynamic equilibrium with the carbon dioxide in the bottle&#39;s headspace. 
         [0007]    When the bottle cap is removed for the very first time, the carbonation in the small headspace leaves the bottle right away. After pouring some soda and closing the cap, the soda releases carbon dioxide into the air-filled headspace until it reaches dynamic equilibrium again. This scenario repeats every time the cap is removed and as the soda level drops and the air pocket volume gets larger, the amount of lost carbonation progressively increases and the soda turns flat faster. 
         [0008]    Carbon dioxide solubility decreases as the liquid temperature increases. In other words, keeping the soda bottles in a colder environment, such as in a refrigerator, lowers the rate of carbonation loss; therefore retaining the carbonation for a longer time even after it is poured into a glass. Leaving the bottle cap off for extended periods of time as well as not closing it tight enough are other major reasons for loss of carbonation. 
         [0009]    The size, shape and weight of the larger soda bottles contribute to difficulties in lifting the bottle and pouring the content into a glass or cup, often with unexpected messy results especially if tried by younger children. 
         [0010]    The present invention minimizes the carbonation loss of the bottled soda by eliminating the need for frequent cap removal and by trapping the carbonation inside the bottle. Furthermore, while keeping the beverage chilled, the dispenser provides a convenient dispensing experience from refrigerator shelf without having to remove it from the refrigerator and on countertops or tabletops without having to lift the bottle. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    A primary object of the invention is to prevent the carbonation from escaping the soda bottle, thus keeping the beverage carbonated for extended lengths of time while providing a convenient and practical method and device to dispense the soda smoothly into a glass or cup. 
         [0012]    A second object of the invention is to eliminate the need for picking up the soda bottle at the time of dispensing and thus eliminating possible spillage due to the size, weight and the shape of the bottle. 
         [0013]    A further object of the invention is to make the assembled soda bottle on the dispenser unit portable and to allow the consumer to suitably place it on a refrigerator shelf and while chilling the beverage, when desired, dispense the soda without the need for removing it from the refrigerator. 
         [0014]    A further object of the invention is to provide capabilities of such device primarily for 2-liter and 1.5-liter bottled soda. 
         [0015]    A further object of the invention is to make countertop or tabletop dispensing effortless by placing the dispenser on a detachable base and by making one-hand dispensing possible. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1 . Fully assembled dispenser including soda bottle, dispenser unit and base 
           [0017]      FIG. 2 . Mounting dispenser unit on a full soda bottle 
           [0018]      FIG. 3 . Dispenser unit interior—view  1   
           [0019]      FIG. 4 . Dispenser unit interior—view  2   
           [0020]      FIG. 5 . Distribution cap details 
           [0021]      FIG. 6 . Valve system details—Idle position 
           [0022]      FIG. 7 . Valve system details—Dispense position 
           [0023]      FIG. 8 . 1.5-liter soda bottle installed on the dispenser unit 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    1. Method 
         [0025]    The device, whose functionality is explained below, is designed based on a method with two major steps. 
         [0026]    Consider a closed system consisting of a full soda bottle and a smaller empty container. The bottle and the container are connected but neither has connections to the outside atmosphere. 
         [0027]    Step 1: Let the smaller container (reservoir) get filled with soda from the soda bottle while the air inside the reservoir moves to the soda bottle and replaces the displaced soda. No air from the outside enters this closed system. 
         [0028]    Step 2: Disconnect the reservoir from the soda bottle while keeping the soda bottle isolated from the outside air. Let the soda dispense from the reservoir (into a glass or a cup) while the outside air enters the reservoir and replaces the displaced soda. Disconnect the empty reservoir from the outside air and reconnect it to the soda bottle and reestablish the closed system. Repeat step 1 and continue. 
         [0029]    In this method, since the content of the bottle&#39;s air pocket is trapped and never exposed to open atmosphere, the soda remains maximally carbonated. 
         [0030]    2. Device 
         [0031]    The main components of the invention are distribution cap  10 , valve system consisting of one soda valve  20  and one air valve  30 , dispensing lever  7 , reservoir  50 , and nozzle  40 . 
         [0032]    The distribution cap  10  replaces the soda bottle&#39;s screw cap and consists of an air tube  11 , which is inserted into the soda bottle  1  and a captive nut  12  that seals its T-shape cylindrical connector  16  to the bottle top. When the soda bottle  1  is inverted, the distribution cap air gate  14  provides access to the bottle&#39;s air pocket  2  via the air tube  11 , while the distribution cap soda gate  15  outputs the liquid. 
         [0033]    Both the soda valve  20  and the air valve  30  are specially designed piston valves. The soda valve  20  has three gates. The soda valve bottle gate  23  receives the soda from the distribution cap soda gate  15  via the soda distribution elbow  17 . The soda valve output gate  26  delivers the soda to the nozzle  40  via the nozzle soda tube  41 . The soda valve reservoir gate  24  connects the soda valve  20  to the reservoir  50  via the reservoir soda tube  25  and depending on the position of the soda valve piston  22 , delivers the soda from the soda valve bottle gate  23  to the reservoir  50  or delivers the soda from the reservoir  50  to the soda valve output gate  26 . 
         [0034]    The air valve  30  has four gates. The air valve bottle gate  33  connects the air valve  30  to the distribution cap air gate  14  via the air distribution elbow  18 . The air valve upper output gate  37  and lower output gate  36  bring in the outside air into the air valve  30 . In addition, the air valve lower output gate  36  is connected to the nozzle  40  via the nozzle air tube  42  and delivers incidental trapped liquid or moisture from the air valve  20  to the nozzle  40 . Incidental liquid is trapped in the air valve liquid trapping barrel  35  located at the air valve reservoir gate  34 . The air valve reservoir gate  34  connects the air valve  30  to the top of the reservoir  50  via the liquid trapping barrel  35  and reservoir air tube  53 . Depending on the position of the air valve piston  32 , the air valve reservoir gate  34  connects the reservoir  50  to the bottle&#39;s air pocket  2  or delivers the outside air to the reservoir  50 . 
         [0035]    The reservoir  50  is located beneath the soda bottle holding bed  3 . It has two gates. The reservoir air gate  52  located at the highest possible elevation and the reservoir soda gate  51  located at the lowest possible elevation of the reservoir  50 . The bottom of the reservoir  50  is tilted towards the reservoir soda gate  51  to make the complete drainage possible. In general, the locations, elevations and slopes of the components ensure the proper displacement of the soda within the device with the soda bottle  1  at the highest elevation and the nozzle  40  at the lowest. 
         [0036]    The spring loaded dispensing lever  7  has two distinct positions, idle and dispense. It is connected to the soda valve piston  22  and the air valve piston  32  via moving mechanical arms  8 . The dispensing lever  7  is normally in idle position, and so are the two pistons  22  and  32 . When the dispensing lever  7  moves down to dispense position, the two pistons  22  and  32  move up inside the respective valves  20  and  30  and assume dispense positions as well. When the dispensing lever  7  is released, it returns to the idle position again and so do the two pistons  22  and  32 . 
         [0037]    How the Components Work Together 
         [0038]    First the screw cap is removed from the soda bottle  1 . The dispenser unit  6  is then turned almost upside down and the distribution cap  10  aligns with the bottle&#39;s opening while the holding bed  3  touches the side of the soda bottle  1 , engulfing it. The captive nut  12  is then turned clockwise and seals the distribution cap  10  on the soda bottle  1 . The dispenser unit  6  along with the installed soda bottle  1  is then turned back to its normal position and placed on the base  4  or on refrigerator shelf. The base  4  keeps the dispenser unit  6  elevated so a glass or cup fits on its drip tray  5  under the nozzle  40 . 
         [0039]    Since the dispensing lever  7  and consequently the soda valve piston  22  and the air valve piston  32  are all in idle position, the soda enters and fills the reservoir  50  via the soda valve  20  and in exchange, the air within the reservoir  50  is pushed out, moving up to the bottle&#39;s air pocket  2  via the reservoir air tube  53 , the air valve  30  and the distribution cap air tube  11 . When the reservoir  50  gets full and the level of the soda in the soda bottle  1  is still higher than the reservoir air gate  52 , soda enters into the reservoir air tube  53  via the reservoir air gate  52  and moves up until reaching the same level as the soda in the soda bottle  1 . In other words, the displacement of soda and air stops when the soda inside the bottle  1  and in the reservoir air tube  53  reach the same level. The U-shape reservoir air tube  53  is designed to a height such that it prevents soda from overflowing into the air valve  30 . 
         [0040]    When the dispensing lever  7  is pushed down to dispense position, the soda valve piston  22  and the air valve piston  23  move up to dispense position also. The soda moves out from the reservoir  50  towards the nozzle  40  via the soda valve  20  and the nozzle soda tube  41 . At the same time, the outside air enters the reservoir  50  via the air valve  30  and the reservoir air tube  53  and replaces the soda. 
         [0041]    When the dispensing lever  7  is released, it returns to the idle position and so do the soda valve piston  22  and the air valve piston  23 . The soda from the soda bottle  1  fills the reservoir  50  again and the air at the top of the reservoir  50  is pushed up to the bottle&#39;s air pocket  2  again. The dispenser unit  6  is now ready for the next dispense action. 
         [0042]    The holding bed  3  is primarily designed to host 2-liter soda bottles. However, by placing and securing an adjustment piece  9  on the inclined holding bed  3 , 1.5-liter soda bottles could also be used, which are almost as tall as 2-liter bottles but have a smaller diameter.