Patent ID: 6896159

Claim:
A beverage dispensing apparatus for a refrigerator, said beverage dispensing apparatus comprising: a fluid director mounted in the refrigerator, said fluid director having a plurality of channels, the channels having upper ends commonly located with one another and lower ends commonly located with one another, said upper ends and lower ends being positioned above a beverage collecting support surface; a drink supply canister holder mounted in the refrigerator at least partially above said upper ends of said channels, said drink supply canister holder adapted to hold a plurality of drink supply canisters, each of the drink supply canisters including a drink supply discharge end having a drink supply outlet valve operable between an open position and a closed position wherein: (a) each of the drink supply discharge ends is positioned above and spaced apart from the upper end of one of the channels; and (b) the drink supply outlet valve of said drink supply discharge end is not in direct fluid communication with said channel; at least one beverage requester connected to the refrigerator; a carbonated and non-carbonated water supplier mounted in the refrigerator, said water supplier adapted and positioned so as to selectively direct carbonated water or non-carbonated water into one of said channels through air from a position above the upper end of said channel when the beverage requester is activated; and a drink supply outlet valve actuator mounted in the refrigerator and operably connected to each of said drink supply outlet valves, said drink supply outlet valve actuator adapted to selectively cause the drink supply outlet valve of one of the drink supply discharge ends to open and dispense drink supply from said drink supply discharge end, through air and then into the channel below said drink supply discharge end when the beverage requester is activated.