Customized beverage making apparatus, system and method
阅读说明：本技术 定制饮料制作装置、系统和方法 (Customized beverage making apparatus, system and method ) 是由 L·V·克劳斯 S·古勒里亚 M·B·古勒里亚 N·古勒里亚 W·麦克劳德 C·V·海夫纳 于 2019-01-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种用于分配流体的系统,其中第一流体匣盒和第二流体匣盒各自在相应的流体出口处包括第一喷口,并且其中提供了对接位置,用于对接每个流体匣盒,使得第一喷口与第二喷口相邻。所述系统可以进一步包括液滴传感器,用于在液滴检测位置检测从流体匣盒分配的液滴的数量。对接位置可以为在对接位置对接的任何匣盒限定特定的定向,并且匣盒可以是楔形的,并且每个匣盒都可以朝向其相应的喷口逐渐变细。还提供了一种流体匣盒,该流体匣盒包括匣盒外壳、流体入口、在流体填充液位上方的流体出口,以及用于将流体从匣盒内部输送到流体出口的虹吸管。(A system for dispensing fluid is provided wherein a first fluid cassette and a second fluid cassette each comprise a first spout at a respective fluid outlet, and wherein a docking position is provided for docking each of the fluid cassettes such that the first spout is adjacent to the second spout. The system can further include a drop sensor for detecting the number of drops dispensed from the flow cartridge at the drop detection location. The docking position may define a particular orientation for any cartridge docked in the docking position, and the cartridges may be wedge-shaped, and each cartridge may taper towards its respective spout. A flow cassette is also provided that includes a cassette housing, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet above a fluid fill level, and a siphon tube for transporting fluid from inside the cassette to the fluid outlet.)
1. A system for dispensing a fluid, comprising:
a first fluid cassette comprising a first spout at a fluid outlet of the first fluid cassette for dispensing fluid;
a second fluid cassette comprising a second spout at a fluid outlet of the second fluid cassette for dispensing fluid; and
a docking position for docking a plurality of flow cassettes;
wherein the first jet is adjacent to the second jet when the first and second fluid cassettes are both docked in the docked position.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second flow cassettes are each wedge-shaped, and wherein the first and second flow cassettes are each tapered to the first and second fluid jets, respectively.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the docked position defines a particular orientation of any cassette docked at the docked position such that the spout of the respective cassette is in a designated position.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first and second flow cassettes are each coupled to the docked location by a respective magnetic fixation point, and wherein the magnetic fixation point requires the respective flow cassette to be implemented in a particular orientation.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a drop sensor for detecting a number of drops dispensed from the first and second flow cassettes, wherein the spout dispenses a drop of fluid at a drop detection location.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the droplet sensor is a capacitive sensor, and wherein the first and second orifices are located above the capacitive sensor, and wherein droplets falling from the first and second orifices fall on opposite sides of a capacitor of the capacitive sensor.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the drop sensor is a laser sensor.
8. The system of claim 5, wherein the drop sensor is a reflective sensor.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second fluid cassettes further each comprise a machine readable element for identifying the contents of the cassette, and wherein the docked position comprises a reader for the machine readable element.
10. The system of claim 9, further comprising processing circuitry for dispensing fluid from a plurality of flow cassettes based on a recipe and the contents of the machine readable element.
11. A flow cassette comprising:
a cassette housing for holding fluid to a fluid fill level;
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet above the fluid fill level; and
a siphon for conveying fluid within the fluid cartridge below a fluid fill level to the fluid outlet,
wherein application of pressure at the fluid inlet causes fluid from the flow cassette to be dispensed at the fluid outlet.
12. The cartridge of claim 11, wherein the siphon tube comprises:
a first surface having a first surface groove; and
a second surface for engaging with the first surface,
wherein the first surface groove and the second surface combine to form the siphon tube when the first surface is pressed against the second surface.
13. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the second surface has a second surface groove, and wherein the first surface groove and the second surface groove combine to form the siphon tube when the first surface is pressed against the second surface.
14. The cartridge of claim 13, wherein the first and second surfaces are planar.
15. A cartridge according to claim 13, said housing further comprising a cover and wherein said first surface is an extension of said cover and said second surface is an inner surface of said housing and wherein application of said cover to said cartridge presses said first surface against said second surface.
16. A cassette as claimed in claim 15, wherein said cover is pressed against said housing by a magnetic closure.
17. The cartridge of claim 11, further comprising an anti-siphon applied to the fluid inlet, and wherein the fluid inlet is below the fluid fill level in the housing, and wherein the anti-siphon directs pressure from the fluid inlet above the fluid fill level.
18. The cassette of claim 11, wherein the siphon tube includes a generally U-shaped bend, and wherein the fluid outlet is directed downwardly.
19. The cartridge of claim 11, further comprising a spout at the outlet, the spout including a downwardly curved channel.
20. The cassette of claim 19, wherein the spout is located at a first corner of the cassette.
21. The cassette of claim 20, wherein the cassette is generally wedge-shaped, and wherein the wedge tapers to the first corner.
22. The cartridge of claim 11, further comprising a machine readable element for identifying the contents of the cartridge.
23. The cartridge of claim 22, wherein the machine readable element is user programmable or encodable.
24. A system for carbonating a fluid, comprising:
a gas supply device;
a fluid container;
a holder for holding the fluid container relative to the gas supply; and
a gas injector for injecting gas from the gas supply into the fluid container, wherein, during use, the gas injector injects gas below a liquid level within the fluid container.
25. The system of claim 24, wherein the fluid container further comprises at least one inner surface for blocking a path for the gas to return to an upper surface of the fluid after injection.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one inner surface is a helical path adjacent an outer wall of the fluid container.
27. The system of claim 26, wherein the spiral path further comprises a surface agitator on a lower surface of the path for redirecting fluid traveling along the spiral path.
28. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one inner surface comprises an annular flange below the liquid level, and wherein, upon injection, gas travels to a bottom of the fluid container and is redirected downwardly by the annular flange upon rising to an upper surface of the fluid.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the annular flange is downwardly concave and maintains gas below the liquid level.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the annular flange is mesh-shaped, thereby allowing contact between the gas and the fluid above the annular flange.
31. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one inner surface comprises a plurality of annular flanges secured to the gas injector.
32. The system of claim 25, wherein the at least one inner surface comprises at least one inner surface that branches into a plurality of inner surfaces.
33. The system of claim 24, the fluid container further comprising a gas blender for breaking up gas bubbles into smaller gas bubbles.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein the gas agitator is a grid below the liquid level of the fluid container, wherein the injected gas passes through the grid.
35. The system of claim 33, wherein the gas blender is at least one object with an accessory within the fluid container.
36. The system of claim 24, the gas injector comprising at least one nozzle extending below the liquid level, wherein the nozzle moves relative to the holder during gas injection.
37. The system of claim 36, wherein the nozzle has an offset orifice such that the injected gas pushes against the nozzle during gas injection.
38. The system of claim 36, wherein the nozzle is mounted on the holder by a pivot connection to allow the nozzle to move during gas injection.
39. The system of claim 36, wherein the tip of the nozzle is in a reed structure for generating vibrations during the gas injection.
40. The system of claim 36, further comprising a plurality of nozzles at different locations for injecting gas simultaneously.
41. The system of claim 24, the fluid container further comprising an inlet and an outlet, and wherein the retainer retains the inlet relative to the gas supply, and wherein the outlet delivers carbonated fluid to a system outlet, and wherein, after the fluid in the fluid container is carbonated, the outlet is opened and gas from the gas supply displaces the fluid in the fluid container.
42. The system of claim 24, wherein the gas supply device comprises:
a gas storage tank;
a gas outlet for delivering gas from the gas reservoir to the fluid container;
a flexible tube having a first end at the gas outlet and extending into the gas reservoir; and
and the floater is used for suspending the second end of the flexible pipe in the gas storage tank.
43. A bottle for carbonated beverages, comprising:
a container for containing a carbonated beverage;
a removable cover; and
at least one inner surface for blocking the path of a carbonation gas within the bottle to the removable cap.
44. The bottle of claim 43, wherein the inner surface is a downwardly facing surface extending from an inner wall of the container, wherein the downwardly facing surface collects carbonation gas rising from the carbonated beverage.
45. The bottle of claim 44, wherein said downwardly facing surface has a reticulated upper surface such that the collected carbonated gas is exposed to fluid above said downwardly facing surface.
46. The bottle of claim 44, wherein said downwardly facing surface is concave.
47. The bottle of claim 43, wherein said inner surface is at least one mesh element submerged below a surface level of said carbonated beverage within said container such that a carbonation gas is captured below said mesh element when separated from said carbonated beverage.
48. The bottle of claim 43, further comprising:
a bottom surface on which the bottle rests; and
an upper surface, independent of the removable cover,
wherein the inner surface is the upper surface, and wherein the carbonated gas collects near the upper surface, and
wherein the removable cap is below a surface level of the carbonated beverage when the bottle is substantially full and rests on the bottom surface.
49. A method of carbonating a fluid, comprising:
providing a fluid container for carbonated fluid;
substantially filling the fluid container with the fluid;
injecting at least a first dispense of a carbonation gas into the fluid within the container;
maintaining an elevated pressure within the fluid container such that the carbonation gas is absorbed into the fluid; detecting a user indication indicating that a carbonation level of a carbonated fluid is higher than the carbonation level at the time of the user indication;
injecting at least one additional dispense of carbonated gas into the fluid within the container; and
dispensing the fluid to the user.
50. The method of claim 49, further comprising releasing excess carbonation gas into an exterior space of the fluid container prior to dispensing the fluid to the user.
51. The method of claim 49, further comprising releasing excess carbonation gas from the fluid container to a space exterior to the fluid container after detecting the user indication and prior to injecting the at least one additional dispense.
52. The method of claim 49, wherein said at least a first allocation is a three-allocation, and wherein said high pressure is above 150 PSI.
53. The method of claim 49, wherein the carbonation level of the fluid at the time of the user indication is based on a wait time between the at least first dispense and the user indication.
54. A fluid delivery system, comprising:
at least one pressurized fluid conduit;
a pressure or fluid source for providing a pressure or fluid flow at the at least one pressurized fluid conduit;
at least one auxiliary container having an inlet and an outlet; and
a controllable valve associated with the at least one auxiliary container,
wherein the pressurized fluid conduit is in communication with an inlet or an outlet of the at least one auxiliary container when the respective controllable valve is open, and
wherein the controllable valve determines whether the auxiliary container is exposed to the pressure or fluid flow.
55. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, wherein the pressure or fluid source is a pressure source.
56. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein said pressure source is a pump.
57. The fluid delivery system of claim 57, wherein the pump is a peristaltic pump.
58. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein said at least one auxiliary container is a fluid container containing an additive for addition to said fluid.
59. The fluid delivery system of claim 58, wherein the at least one auxiliary container is a plurality of auxiliary containers, and each of the auxiliary containers has a respective controllable valve, and each of the auxiliary containers contains a different additive.
60. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein the pressurized fluid conduit is in communication with the inlet of the auxiliary container, and wherein the controllable valve is between the pressure source and the inlet such that when the controllable valve is opened, pressure is applied to the inlet and the contents of the respective auxiliary container are discharged through the outlet.
61. The fluid delivery system of claim 60, wherein said at least one auxiliary container is a plurality of auxiliary containers, each having a respective independently controllable valve, and each of said auxiliary containers containing a different additive.
62. A fluid delivery system according to claim 61, wherein said valves can be opened simultaneously or sequentially to controllably combine additives from multiple auxiliary containers.
63. The fluid delivery system of claim 60, wherein said outlet of said at least one auxiliary container deposits fluid from said auxiliary container directly into a fluid stream or device outlet.
64. The fluid delivery system of claim 63, wherein the fluid stream is a water conduit that is not in direct contact with the outlet of the at least one auxiliary container such that fluid drips from the outlet into the fluid stream.
65. The fluid delivery system of claim 60, wherein the outlet of the at least one auxiliary container is connected to an outlet conduit that delivers the contents of the auxiliary container to an additive injection location.
66. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein said pressurized fluid conduit is in communication with said outlet of said at least one auxiliary container and said pressure source applies negative pressure to said outlet and said controllable valve determines whether to withdraw fluid from said auxiliary container.
67. The fluid delivery system of claim 66, wherein the controllable valve is located between the pressure source and the respective auxiliary container.
68. The fluid delivery system of claim 66, wherein the controllable valves are located at respective auxiliary container inlets such that opening of the controllable valves allows ambient air to displace fluid such that fluid can be drawn by negative pressure at the outlets.
69. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein the pump reverses fluid flow to facilitate cleaning of the pressurized fluid conduit or outlet conduit such that fluid is drawn from the secondary container into the outlet conduit and returned to the secondary container.
70. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein the auxiliary container contains a cleaning solution or water, or wherein the pressurized conduit can draw fluid from a water source.
71. The fluid delivery system of claim 55, wherein said auxiliary container is removable or refillable.
72. The fluid delivery system of claim 61, wherein the additive is a flavoring agent, a coloring agent, or a mineral additive.
73. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, wherein the controllable valve is a solenoid valve.
74. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, further comprising a first detector for detecting the contents of a beverage container and controlling the controllable valve to regenerate the contents of the beverage container and dispense the regenerated contents.
75. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, further comprising a second detector for determining a liquid level of the beverage container and dispensing regenerated contents only when the fluid in the beverage container is depleted.
76. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, wherein the fluid source or pressure source is a water source.
77. The fluid delivery system of claim 76, wherein said at least one auxiliary container is a filter.
78. The fluid delivery system of claim 76, wherein said at least one auxiliary container is a plurality of different filter segments, each filter segment being provided with a controllable valve at its inlet, and wherein water from said water source enters said filter segment if said controllable valve is open and will bypass said filter segment if said controllable valve is closed.
79. The fluid delivery system of claim 78, wherein each of the plurality of different filter segments is arranged in series such that water from the outlet of a first filter segment next encounters the controllable valve at the inlet of a second filter segment, and such that any fluid bypassing the first filter segment will also encounter the inlet of the second filter segment.
80. The fluid delivery system of claim 79, wherein each of the plurality of different filter segments is interchangeable and user selectable to change a filtration characteristic of the fluid delivery system.
81. The fluid delivery system of claim 78, wherein the plurality of distinct filter segments comprises at least one of:
a large particle filter;
a particulate or solid bulk carbon filter;
a microfiltration membrane; and
a nanofiltration membrane.
82. The fluid delivery system of claim 76, wherein the water source is a faucet.
83. The fluid delivery system of claim 76, further comprising a water turbine applied to the pressurized fluid conduit and providing power to the fluid delivery system.
84. The fluid delivery system of claim 54, wherein the at least one auxiliary container is a fluid heating or cooling module or a fluid carbonation module.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a customized beverage making device, system and method, including such a device for flavoring, filtering and carbonating a beverage.
Background
Traditionally, people have purchased beverages from local stores, or more recently, via online delivery services. Such beverages may include flavored beverages, carbonated beverages, and even basic beverages such as filtered water. These beverages are sometimes purchased in bulk in containers. These containers may be bottles, each of which may hold, for example, 1 liter of water, or larger containers. When the contents of one container are consumed, the other container is retrieved and opened for consumption. This process is very convenient, requiring only occasional visits to the store (or online clicks in the case of online ordering of beverages), occasional handling and replacement of empty containers. Although this beverage access method is simple, it generates a large amount of waste (usually plastic waste, since the containers are usually made of plastic). Therefore, the development of a home beverage making system is expected to reduce waste.
In developing a home beverage making system, the convenience of beverage making is ideally close to or better than the convenience of the existing beverage acquisition methods already described above. In particular, in order to further reduce the workload involved in existing beverage acquisition methods, at least some of the following problems may be further eliminated: 1) a need to go to a shop to replenish the beverage containers, 2) a need to handle empty containers, and a need to store crates with full containers. These problems should be solved while 3) avoiding the introduction of new significant inconveniences. Furthermore, the beverage making system may introduce new advantages, such as the continuous making of customized beverages at a lower cost than traditional beverage procurement.
Each of these problems can be solved by creating a home beverage making device that allows a user to make a beverage from tap water or water from another source (e.g., a dedicated pipe or tank) that can be filtered, flavored, and carbonated according to the user's specifications. There are several existing devices that attempt to do this, but doing so can cause new inconveniences to the user. We propose a novel customized beverage making device herein that has unique functionality to avoid the inconvenience of other prior devices.
Generally, in various embodiments, the apparatus is designed to enable or facilitate one or more of the preparation, personalization, or purification of water and flavored beverages.
Current processes for the preparation of water and beverages are time consuming and cumbersome, requiring the bottles to be cleaned, the water to be cooled, and the water to be filtered, carbonated and flavored by different processes. Users often end up with disposable plastic bottles in order to avoid the cumbersome process of preparing beverages.
For personalization of water and beverages, family members or commercial establishment customers may prefer different types of water and flavored beverages of slightly different formulations. For example, a user may prefer beverages with different carbonation levels, different temperatures, or different flavors. Even if the recipe is repeatable, it is difficult to accurately dispense ingredients such as flavoring syrups. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to repeatedly prepare a beverage without proper equipment.
Purifying water using existing systems is often expensive, wasteful, cumbersome, and/or requires large equipment. Such purification may further remove beneficial minerals. Consumer oriented filters (e.g. pitchers) are unreliable and inconsistent and have low capacity. The water tank you use may be used up just as you need it.
In addition, users of such systems may prefer carbonated beverages. There are several methods to mix water and carbon dioxide (CO2) to make carbonated water. In one method, pressurized carbon dioxide (e.g., about 1000PSI) is released directly from a pressurized canister into a thin tube that delivers the carbon dioxide to a thin "injection straw" (about 3 mm ID). Carbon dioxide can escape from the bottom of the syringe through a small opening (about 200 microns) into a container filled with about 85% by volume water (i.e., 15% of the container's internal volume is "headspace"). The tip of the syringe through which carbon dioxide escapes is located just below the water level in the container. In this way, carbon dioxide is injected at a very high rate directly from the tip of the straw into the water to be carbonated. Such high-speed injection causes vigorous agitation of the water, thereby promoting mixing and dissolution of the injected carbon dioxide with the water, thereby generating carbonated water. Although the carbon dioxide is sprayed directly from the pressurized carbon dioxide tank into the water at high speed without any pressure regulation, the outlet orifice of the injection straw is small and the flow rate is slow, so that the container takes a certain amount of time to reach high pressure (about 3 seconds to 150 PSI). This extended mixing time allows the agitation and mixing of the liquid to continue for a sufficient time for adequate carbonation to occur. The restriction of the carbon dioxide flow rate by the injection straw also helps to increase the time required for the carbonation container to reach dangerous PSI levels, thereby allowing the use of a lower PSI grade carbonation container than the pressurized carbon dioxide tank storing carbon dioxide, despite the absence of a pressure regulator in the flow path therebetween.
The rate of carbon dioxide injection into the water in the carbonation vessel is high and is a method of physically propelling and mixing the water. However, the physical orientation of the injection straw with respect to the water is also important. By pointing down into the water, rather than from below or from the side up, such systems take advantage of the natural tendency of carbon dioxide gas to want to rise through the water (because carbon dioxide gas is lighter than water). Because of this natural tendency of carbon dioxide gas, injecting carbon dioxide down into water will result in approximately twice the contact time between the carbon dioxide bubbles and the water (i.e., on both the downward injection path and the upward buoyant path of the gas), and twice as much mixing as possible (i.e., the bubbles push the water along its downward and upward paths).
After the initial carbon dioxide injection, the pressure within the carbonation chamber increases (i.e., above the initial atmospheric pressure). This pressure also aids the carbonation process because it actually forces the carbon dioxide molecules into closer contact with water molecules. If the pressure in the carbonation vessel is reduced back to atmospheric pressure by opening a "pressure relief valve", some of the carbon dioxide dissolved in the water will immediately begin the process of separating from the water, thereby reducing the carbonation of the mixture. If such a pressure relief valve is left open indefinitely, then over time all of the carbon dioxide will escape from the water and the water will not carbonate anymore. A daily specification of this concept is that carbonated water will fade if it is left in an open bottle for a sufficiently long time. If all of the carbon dioxide is separated from the water and allowed to float to the atmosphere, either by repressurizing, re-stirring or cold storage of the carbonation vessel (or carbonated water bottle), the water cannot be re-carbonated because the carbon dioxide will no longer be re-mixed with the water.
This concept can be problematic for any long-term (hours or days) bottle of carbonated beverage, involving multiple openings and closings of the container (e.g., a typical carbonated water bottle). Each time the container lid is opened for drinking, carbon dioxide escaping from the water, and thus remaining in the "headspace" above the liquid level, can escape to the atmosphere through the upper opening of the container. This means that the carbon dioxide that accumulates in the headspace of the bottle is lost each time the bottle is opened and, as previously mentioned, any subsequent re-pressurisation, re-stirring or refrigeration of the bottle does not assist in returning any carbonation. Furthermore, even if the container is still capped, the closure is not perfectly sealed and, even if it is kept capped, the closure will continue to leak carbon dioxide slowly, ensuring that carbonated water placed in the bottle and manually sealed will inevitably lose carbonation over time. An imperfect solution used by some carbonated beverage users is to place the bottle in the refrigerator, inverting it, moving the non-gas-tight cap from the highest point of the bottle (where carbon dioxide gas will collect in the mouth space) to the lowest point, where only water will contact the cap (because the carbon dioxide floats upwards). This limits the loss of carbon dioxide to an amount that can only diffuse to the entire vessel wall.
There is a need for a beverage making device, system and method that can reproducibly flavor a beverage and increase the absorption of carbon dioxide in the liquid and/or allow the fluid to retain carbon dioxide at a higher rate than existing devices.
Disclosure of Invention
A system for dispensing a fluid is provided, the system comprising: a first fluid cassette comprising a first spout at a fluid outlet of the first fluid cassette for dispensing fluid; a second fluid cassette comprising a second spout at a fluid outlet of the second fluid cassette for dispensing fluid; and a docked position for docking a plurality of flow cassettes, wherein the first jet is adjacent to the second jet when the first flow cassette and the second flow cassette are both docked in the docked position.
In some embodiments, each flow cassette is wedge-shaped, and the first and second flow cassettes each taper to first and second fluid jets, respectively. The docking position may define a particular orientation of any docked cassette such that the spout of the respective cassette is in a designated position. This docking may be done by means of magnetic fixing points, which require a specific orientation.
The system may further comprise a droplet sensor for detecting the number of droplets dispensed from the first and second flow cassettes, wherein the spout dispenses droplets at a droplet detection location where droplets can be counted. The droplet sensor may be a capacitive sensor, and the first and second orifices may be located above the capacitive sensor and positioned such that droplets falling from the first and second orifices land on opposite sides of a capacitor of the capacitive sensor. In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of capacitive sensors may be provided corresponding to each flow cartridge at the docked position.
In some embodiments, the drop sensor may be a laser sensor or a reflective sensor.
The first and second flow cassettes may each further comprise a machine readable element for identifying the contents of the flow cassette, and wherein the docking location comprises a reader for the machine readable element. The system can include processing circuitry for dispensing fluid from a plurality of flow cassettes based on a recipe, which can be provided or can come from memory, and the contents of the machine readable element.
A flow cartridge can be provided, the flow cartridge comprising: a cassette housing for holding fluid to a fluid fill level; a fluid inlet; a liquid outlet above the fluid fill level; and a siphon for delivering fluid within the fluid cassette below a fluid fill level to the fluid outlet, wherein application of pressure at the fluid inlet causes fluid from the fluid cassette to be dispensed at the fluid outlet.
The siphon may be deconstructed and may include a first surface having a first surface groove and a second surface for engaging the first surface, wherein the first surface groove and the second surface combine to form the siphon when the first surface is pressed against the second surface. In some embodiments, the second surface may be provided with a second surface groove such that when the first surface is pressed against the second surface, the first and second surface grooves combine to form the siphon.
The first and second surfaces may be planar or they may be curved surfaces, and the first surface may be an extension of the cover of the housing and the second surface may be an inner surface of the housing of the flow cassette. The cover may be pressed against the housing by a magnetic closure.
The flow cassette may further include an anti-siphon applied to the fluid inlet such that the fluid inlet is below a liquid level within the housing, and the anti-siphon directs pressure from the fluid inlet above the fluid fill level.
The siphon may comprise a generally U-shaped bend and the fluid outlet may face downwardly. The spout may include a downwardly curved channel and may be located at a first corner of the flow cassette such that the flow cassette is wedge-shaped and tapers towards the first corner.
The flow cartridge may further include a machine readable element, which may be user programmable or encodable.
Providing a system for making a customized beverage may also carbonate the fluid, and may include: a gas supply device; a fluid container; a holder for holding the fluid container relative to the gas supply; and a gas injector for injecting gas from the gas supply into the fluid container. During use, the gas injector may inject gas below the liquid level within the fluid container. The fluid container may include at least one inner surface for blocking the path of the gas back to the upper surface of the fluid after injection.
The inner surface may be a helical path adjacent an outer wall of the fluid container, and may further comprise a surface agitator on a lower surface of the path for redirecting fluid traveling along the helical path.
Alternatively, the inner surface may be an annular flange below the liquid level, such that the annular flange redirects the gas downward as it rises toward the upper surface of the fluid.
The annular flange may be concave so as to retain gas, and the surface may be reticulated or perforated so that gas trapped at the flange may contact fluid above and below the flange. In some embodiments, the flange may be fixed to the gas injector, and in some embodiments, may branch into multiple inner surfaces.
The fluid container may further comprise a gas agitator for breaking up gas bubbles into smaller gas bubbles. The agitator may be a grid below the liquid level of the fluid vessel such that the injected gas passes through the grid. The agitator may also be an object with an attachment or an irregularly shaped object within the fluid container.
The gas injector may be held at a holder such that the nozzle moves relative to the holder during gas injection. This movement may be caused by an offset hole in the nozzle which may then be pushed by the gas. The holder may use a pivotal connection or a reed structure to create motion or vibration during carbon dioxide injection.
The gas supply device may include: a gas storage tank; a gas outlet for delivering gas from the gas reservoir to the fluid container; a flexible tube having a first end at the gas outlet and extending into the gas reservoir; and a float for suspending the second end of the flexible tube within the gas tank.
There is provided a bottle for carbonated beverages, the bottle comprising: a container for containing a carbonated beverage; a removable cover; and at least one inner surface for blocking the path of the carbonation gas within the bottle to the removable cap.
The inner surface may be a downwardly facing surface extending from an inner wall of the container, and the downwardly facing surface may collect carbonation gas rising in the carbonated beverage. The downwardly facing surface may have a reticulated upper surface such that the collected carbonation gas is exposed to the fluid above the downwardly facing surface. The downwardly facing surface may be concave or may be a mesh element submerged below the surface element to capture carbonated gas separated from the carbonated beverage.
The bottle may include a bottom surface on which the bottle body rests, and an upper surface independent of the removable cap, wherein the inner surface is the upper surface and a carbonation gas collects near the upper surface, and wherein the removable cap is below a surface level of the carbonated beverage when the bottle is substantially full and rests on the bottom surface.
There is also provided a method of carbonating a fluid, the method comprising: providing a fluid container for carbonated fluid; substantially filling the fluid container with a fluid; injecting at least a first dispense of a carbonation gas into the fluid within the container; maintaining an elevated pressure within the fluid container such that the carbonation gas is absorbed into the fluid; detecting a user indication indicating that a carbonation level of a carbonated fluid is higher than the carbonation level at the time of the user indication; injecting at least one additional dispense of a carbonation gas into the fluid within the vessel; and dispensing the fluid to a user. The at least first dispense may be three dispenses and the high pressure may be greater than 150 PSI.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises releasing excess carbonation gas from the fluid container prior to dispensing the fluid to the user. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise releasing excess carbonated gas to an exterior space of the fluid container after receiving the user indication and before injecting the at least one additional dispense.
In some embodiments, the method may determine the current carbonation level of the fluid at the time of the user indication based on a wait time between at least the first dispense and the user indication.
In some embodiments, there is provided a fluid delivery system comprising: at least one pressurized fluid conduit; a pressure or fluid source for providing a pressure or fluid flow at the at least one pressurized fluid conduit; at least one auxiliary container having an inlet and an outlet; and a controllable valve associated with the at least one auxiliary container, wherein the pressurized fluid conduit is in communication with an inlet or outlet of the at least one auxiliary container when the respective controllable valve is open, and wherein the controllable valve determines whether the auxiliary container is exposed to pressure or fluid flow.
Many variations and further embodiments of the device will become apparent from the drawings and detailed description set forth herein.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a customized beverage making device;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a customized beverage making device implementing the features of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 2 with the housing removed;
4A-C are perspective views of three embodiments of a customized beverage making device;
FIG. 5 is a close-up view of an additive cartridge incorporated into the customized beverage making device of FIG. 4A;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a pump for dispensing additive from an additive cartridge into a beverage produced by the customized beverage making device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an additive cartridge dispensing additive in the context of the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an additive cartridge dispensing additive in the context of the second embodiment of the device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 9A-H illustrate variations of the embodiment of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 shows a schematic view of a second pump embodiment for dispensing an additive in the context of the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a variation of the pump embodiment of FIG. 10;
12A-D illustrate various steps in a cleaning protocol for the pump embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11;
FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of a filter that may be used in the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 14A shows a schematic view of a water supply connector for the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 14B shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the water source connector of FIG. 14A;
FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate a carbonation container for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 16 illustrates surface features of a portion of the carbonation vessel of FIG. 15A;
FIG. 17 shows an alternative embodiment of a carbonation vessel for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 18 shows an alternative embodiment of a carbonation vessel for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 19 shows an alternative embodiment of a carbonation vessel for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 20A-B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a carbonation container for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 20C shows an insert in a carbonation container for use with the device of FIG. 1;
figure 21 shows a nozzle for use in the carbonation module of the apparatus of figure 1;
FIG. 22 illustrates additional features used in a carbonation vessel used with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 23 shows a storage container for storing carbonated beverages for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 24 shows an alternative embodiment of a storage container for storing carbonated beverages for use with the apparatus of FIG. 1;
figure 25 shows a gas canister for use in the apparatus of figure 1;
FIG. 26A shows a block diagram of a carbonation container and valve system for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1;
fig. 26B shows a flow chart illustrating a method for carbonating a fluid;
27A and 27B illustrate a level detector used in a beverage container in two states;
28A and 28B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a level detector for use in a beverage container in two states;
FIGS. 29A and 29B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a level detector for use in a beverage container in two states;
FIGS. 30A and 30B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a level detector for use in a beverage container in two states;
31A and 31B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a level detector for use in a beverage container in two states;
FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating a method of delivering fluid to a container using the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 33A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized beverage making device including a storage module for an additive cartridge;
FIG. 33B is another perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 33A including a shelf for shorter beverage containers;
FIG. 34A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized beverage making device including different storage modules for additive cartridges;
FIG. 34B is a perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 34A, showing the removable front panel removed;
FIG. 34C is a rear perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 34A including a water tank for storing water;
FIG. 34D is a rear perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 34A including two water tanks for storing water;
FIG. 35A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized beverage making device showing an installed additive cartridge;
FIG. 35B is a rear perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 35A including an optional storage module for an additive cartridge and a water tank for storing water;
FIG. 36 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized beverage making device showing a plurality of additive cartridges installed and including a storage module for attaching the additive cartridges;
FIG. 37 is a storage module for an additional additive cartridge for use with the device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 38A-B are embodiments of an additive cartridge for use with the device of FIG. 1;
39A-C illustrate an alternative embodiment of an additive cartridge for use with the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 40 shows a schematic view of a takeoff pipe for the additive cartridge of FIGS. 38 and 39A-C;
FIGS. 41A-D show a pumping process for removing the contents of the additive cartridge from the output tube;
FIG. 42 shows an alternative embodiment of a takeoff pipe for use in the case of the additive cartridge shown in FIGS. 38 and 39A-C;
43A-D illustrate one advantage of the embodiment of FIG. 42 relative to the embodiment of FIG. 40;
44A, 44B, and 44C show views of an embodiment of an additive cartridge according to the present disclosure;
45A and 45B show views of an embodiment of an additive cartridge according to the present disclosure;
FIGS. 46A and 46B show components of an deconstructed siphon tube for use in a cartridge for use with the device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 47A-B should incorporate the deconstructed (deconstructed) siphon of FIGS. 46A-B in an additive cartridge;
FIG. 48 shows a magnetic seal used with a cartridge;
FIGS. 49A-B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a magnetic seal for use with a cartridge;
FIGS. 50A-50B illustrate magnetic elements for refilling a cartridge;
FIG. 51 shows a rack assembly for refilling a cassette;
52A-B illustrate an assembly for counting droplets dispensed from a cartridge;
FIGS. 53A-D illustrate a cartridge for use in the assembly of FIGS. 52A-B;
FIG. 54 shows a top view of a plurality of cassettes in the assembly of FIGS. 52A-B;
FIG. 55 shows the use of a drop sensor in the view of FIG. 54;
FIGS. 56-57 illustrate a plurality of cassettes in docked positions for use in the device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 58-59 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a drop sensor for use in the device of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 60A-B illustrate a capacitive drop sensor for use in the device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 60C illustrates an example of data collected from the capacitive drop sensor shown in FIGS. 60A-B;
FIGS. 61A-B illustrate two implementations of the capacitive drop sensor of FIGS. 60A-B into the device of FIG. 1.
Detailed Description
The description of illustrative embodiments in accordance with the principles of the invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In describing the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is made for convenience of description only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Relative terms such as "lower," "upper," "horizontal," "vertical," "above," "below," "upper," "lower," "top" and "bottom," as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally," "downwardly," "upwardly," etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless otherwise specifically stated. Terms such as "attached," "connected," "coupled," "interconnected," and the like refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or connected together, either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid connections or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the present invention are explained with reference to exemplary embodiments. Thus, the present invention should not be explicitly limited to such exemplary embodiments, which illustrate some possible non-limiting combinations of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention is defined by the claims appended hereto.
The instant disclosure describes one or more of the best modes presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. The description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense, but rather provides examples of the invention, which are presented for purposes of illustration only by reference to the figures, so as to suggest themselves to those skilled in the art the advantages and construction of the invention. Like reference numerals designate like or similar parts throughout the various views of the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a customized
The entire device may be controlled by appropriate circuitry, including a microcontroller, to control the sequence and coordination of events in the operation of the
The
It will be understood that while embodiments of the full features are shown and described, a
For example, the system will typically include only the
Such systems may be mounted on a rack or attached to a ferromagnetic surface by magnets, such as a refrigerator door, and may be powered from a wall outlet or by batteries.
The dispensed amount of additive in each
As shown in fig. 2 and 5, the
FIG. 5 is a close-up view of a plurality of
Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the
Typically, the
Thus, the
Pumping of syrup from the
Further, although a takeoff tube 650 is shown, some embodiments do not incorporate a takeoff tube, and the additive may be output directly from the cartridge's output port. These implementations are discussed in detail below. Re-aspirating syrup or any other additives back into the
As shown, the fluid delivery system has at least one pressurized conduit 600, which is connected to the
In some embodiments, the pressurized conduit 600 is maintained pressurized and a controllable valve 640 is provided in association with the
In some embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of
The
While the exact amount of syrup dispensed can be tracked by determining how much fluid is pumped into the
In some embodiments, the
As shown in fig. 6, the outlet 620 of each additive cartridge can be connected to an output tube 650a, b, in such a way that the output tubes 650a, b can deliver the additive to an additive output of the
Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an
Accordingly, the takeoff pipe may also be eliminated altogether in order to prevent any need to clean the "takeoff pipe". If the
Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of an
The
The
Thus, if the
Fig. 9A-9C show a variation of the embodiment of fig. 8, wherein 9C shows a close-up view of the angled water flow mechanism. As shown, the
Thus, for ease of use, it would be useful to allow a user of the machine to position two empty bottles 700a, b under the machine and have the
The first is the "angled water flow" mechanism shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, in which there is an open-topped (or closed-topped in other embodiments)
The ability of the
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 9D-9F, instead of tilting the
Alternatively, as shown in fig. 9G-H, the water flow may be split into two or
Finally, all of the "water flow" output mechanisms shown in FIGS. 9A-H may be removable, such that a user may choose to purchase the
Fig. 10 shows a schematic view of a second pump embodiment for dispensing an additive in the context of the device of fig. 1, and fig. 11 shows a simplified schematic view of a variant of the pump embodiment of fig. 10. As shown, the
In such embodiments, as described above, a valve may be provided as part of the
It would be useful to be able to clean all of the tubes that come into contact with the syrup in the chamber, such as the
Fig. 12A-12D illustrate various steps in a cleaning protocol for the
Thus, a
Alternatively, when all of the syrup in the
In some embodiments, instead of providing a replacement pod or
In some embodiments, such cleaning solutions in the
Fig. 13 shows a schematic view of a filter that may be used as part of the
There are many types of filters on the market, each of which can filter out a different subset of contaminants from water. The
As shown, a fluid source, such as a
As shown, the
To implement a custom filter, certain segments of
Each filter segment may be, for example, a large particle filter, a particulate or solid bulk carbon filter, a microfiltration membrane, a nanofiltration membrane, and the like. It will be noted that although the present disclosure discusses a carbonation method, the user may still dispense still water immediately after the filtration process. Thus, a still water dispensing solenoid (solenoid) can be used as a valve to release filtered still water directly to the output of the device.
The
Finally, another option for allowing the machine to obtain a water supply is to have the
In such an embodiment, a standard under sink mounted diverter may be provided on the cold or hot water line (relative to the water temperature required by the device), the diverter being connected to a filter which is connected to a long coiled hose which terminates in a manually or electronically controlled valve. With such a system, whenever it is desired to refill the tank of the counter top device, the user can disconnect the hose from under the sink, extend its end into the tank of the machine, and then activate the valve at the end of the hose to allow water to flow into the tank to refill it.
In addition, many kitchen appliances require the use of water in a particular temperature range. For example, a refrigerator may only require cold water to perform the necessary functions. However, it is not always convenient or possible for a user to install a conventional under sink shunt hose from a hot or cold water pipe or to drill a hole in a countertop to install the hose. Thus, a valve device may be provided which is connected to a hot or cold water tap knob, allowing for diversion at that point rather than under the counter.
Thus, water can be drawn from an under-sink tee that is spliced to a user water supply line, an accessory water tank, or a faucet connected to a tee. Any of these mechanisms may further employ a water pressure regulator.
The refill station may be powered by a standard outlet power adapter or by an on-board rechargeable battery (e.g., lead-acid battery). The battery may be charged by connecting to a charging circuit connected to an electrical outlet and/or by drawing power from water turbine 1400 and/or a carbon dioxide gas turbine. Hydro turbine 1400 may be mounted at any location along the water flow path through the machine components. The optimal positioning would be at the point of first contact with the user's home water supply (e.g., the sink head, or any other point of integration with the user's water supply) so that it will generate electricity (i.e., water will flow through it) both when the user commands water to be poured into their sink (blue arrow) and when the machine commands water to flow through their pipes (red arrow). An electrical cord may connect the turbine to the machine's battery along the path of the machine's water line. Also, the carbon dioxide gas turbine may be located somewhere in the gas path from the compressed carbon dioxide tank of the machine to the carbonation tank of the machine so that when carbon dioxide gas is injected into the carbonation tank to carbonate the water, it generates electricity. In some embodiments, instead of using a turbine, solar energy may be used to power the refill station and other components of the device.
The
The amount of carbon dioxide remaining in the compressed carbon dioxide storage tank to which the apparatus is connected can be estimated by the amount of time required for the carbonation tank to reach a certain pressure (e.g., 150PSI) after activating the pin valve of the compressed carbon dioxide tank. This amount of time is a function of the flow rate of carbon dioxide from the tank into the carbonation tank and also a function of the pressure remaining in the compressed carbon dioxide tank. In some embodiments, the amount of additive remaining in the
In some embodiments, the
To facilitate proper positioning of the water bottle below the output spout of the
As described above, the
As shown in fig. 1,
During use,
To obtain consistent results, the carbonation container or
Furthermore, when a user requests carbonated water, a separate valve may first release carbon dioxide to reduce the pressure within the carbonation vessel, thereby avoiding excessive flow to the user. In addition, an air pump may be provided to discharge carbonated water after the carbon dioxide is released, so as to dispense the carbonated water at a consistent rate. A large diameter valve may be provided to dispense water to avoid over-stirring which would otherwise release carbonation of the water.
Several methods are available to assist in carbonation, including increasing the contact time between carbon dioxide or other carbonated gas and water or any other fluid to be carbonated, increasing the contact surface area between the carbonated fluid and the fluid to be carbonated, increasing the pressure, and decreasing the temperature. For ease of reference, the carbonated fluid is sometimes referred to as carbon dioxide and the fluid to be carbonated is sometimes referred to as water.
The contact time between water and carbon dioxide can be increased by several methods. For example, as shown in fig. 15A and 15B, by adding a spiral step-type structure within the carbonation vessel. This "step" may be "stepped" like a step, may be smooth like a ramp, or may repeat various other structural subassemblies along its length, as will be described later. The steps will extend from the walls of the
Thus, fig. 15A and 15B illustrate one example of a
Fig. 16 illustrates surface features, as shown by the vertical wings 1600 on the upper surface 1610 of the
Such wings 1600 may be configured to direct any downward flowing water stream, such as a water stream captured by injected carbon dioxide or pushed downward, creating a downward spiral motion. This downward spiral motion will be opposite to the rotational direction of the upward spiral motion on the underside of the step, creating additional agitation.
Fig. 17 shows an alternative embodiment of a
As shown, flange 1700 does not extend to the center of
As shown, the flange 1700 may be concave downward and may maintain the gas below the
Increasing the surface area of the carbon dioxide and water can be accomplished by various methods. Breaking up the bubbles into smaller bubbles is a method because smaller spheres have a higher surface area to volume ratio than larger spheres.
Fig. 18 shows an alternative embodiment of a
Another way to increase the agitation in the water, thereby using the water as a force to agitate the gas and break up the bubbles, is to induce the formation of a vortex. Vortices, like small vortices, can be created by forcing a liquid or gas past a specially shaped obstacle. These obstacles may be placed along the inner wall of the carbonation container.
Fig. 19 shows an alternative embodiment of a
As shown in fig. 20B, by providing a plurality of
As shown, these
As shown in fig. 20C, tree assembly 2000 may be provided and inserted into
Another way to increase the agitation in the water, thereby utilizing the water to agitate and break up the bubbles, is to flexibly attach 2100 the carbon
Instead of a flexible connection 2100 to the wall of the carbonation container, a rotational connection, such as a pivot, could also be used, which would force the movement of the
Figure 21 shows a
Fig. 22 shows an alternative embodiment of a
In some embodiments,
One problem with the prior art systems discussed previously is that if a user places a carbonated bottle into a refrigerator, the manual tightening of the cap of the bottle cap will maintain an imperfect seal, thereby allowing carbon dioxide to slowly leak from the bottle. Furthermore, whenever the cap is opened to drink and then re-capped, the carbon dioxide that has left the water and is in the headspace will escape to the atmosphere, further reducing the pressure in the bottle, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the bottle, further accelerating the decarbonation process of any water remaining in the bottle, even if the bottle is refrigerated, re-agitated or re-pressurized.
To solve this problem, several solutions are disclosed. These solutions revolve around the general idea of capturing any carbon dioxide that separates from the water during natural decarbonation and trapping this separated carbon dioxide in a gas pocket that is not exposed to leaks and to an occasional open bottle cap (which opens when the user gets a beverage). These carbon dioxide capture schemes will cause the carbonated water dispensed into the capless bottle to "retain" more carbon dioxide than a capless bottle without these carbon dioxide capture mechanisms, as the latter carbon dioxide can simply be bubbled out of solution and through the mouth of the bottle into the atmosphere. If the water is first chilled, any carbon dioxide captured by the mechanism described below can then be re-mixed into the water to re-carbonate it to some extent (as colder water can be more easily carbonated by stirring than warmer water).
Similar to
Fig. 23 shows a side profile of a
Fig. 24 shows another embodiment of a
Figure 25 shows a
To avoid the potential for liquid carbon dioxide to escape from the tank, most systems using compressed carbon dioxide require the carbon dioxide tank to be placed vertically so that liquid carbon dioxide cannot enter the outlet valve of the tank. In situations where a horizontal orientation of the tank is required, an anti-siphon is typically used. These are curved "diplegs" extending downwardly from the outlet valve of the carbon dioxide tank and into the carbon dioxide tank, the diplegs having an upward bend to ensure that only gaseous carbon dioxide enters the anti-siphon tube and exits the outlet valve. The anti-siphon tube, when working properly, needs to be carefully installed to ensure the correct orientation of the carbon dioxide canister so that the curve of the internal anti-siphon tube points in the correct direction (upwards with respect to the ground).
As shown,
Fig. 26A shows a block diagram of a
As shown,
Alternatively or in combination, the gas used to inject the fluid may be an off-gas, such as the gas in the head 2630 of the
With respect to the carbonation process itself, one method of carbonating water is commonly referred to as "forced carbonation". In "forced carbonation", carbon dioxide bubbles were initially bubbled into the water through an "aerator stone" in a pressure vessel at a pressure of 80 PSI. As the bubbles rise through the water column, part of the carbon dioxide dissolves into the water and the remainder accumulates in the headspace (the gaseous region above the water level in the pressure vessel). The pressure of the pressure vessel is maintained at a pressurized pressure, in this case 80PSI, to allow the carbon dioxide in the headspace to passively and slowly diffuse into the water below.
Traditional "forced carbonation" requires time. One factor limiting the speed of this passive dissolution process is the surface area of the carbon dioxide-water interface. To increase this surface area and thus increase the rate of passive carbonation, we propose to increase the surface area of the carbon dioxide-water interface. One way to achieve this goal is to trap the rising carbon dioxide bubbles under water when they are initially injected into the water (by aeration rocks or other means) before they reach the headspace. To this end, a large number of small overhangs may be placed along the inner wall of the carbonation vessel, as shown in fig. 17-20A, or possibly in the middle of the carbonation chamber (e.g., attached to a tree-shaped object inserted into the pressure vessel), as shown in fig. 20B-20C. These overhangs trap tiny carbon dioxide bubbles as they rise (due to their buoyancy) after the initial injection of carbon dioxide.
In addition, there are several methods for preparing carbonated water, all using a combination of temperature, pressure, time, and mixing or stirring. Two of these methods include "forced carbonation" as described above, which is slower, and the agitation-based method is faster. Although the stirring process is rapid, it is not efficient in utilizing carbon dioxide when producing highly carbonated water. This is because, in order to increase the amount of agitation and mixing (achieved by injecting carbon dioxide at high speed), it must occasionally release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to reduce the pressure within the pressure vessel, thereby allowing more carbon dioxide to be injected to further agitate the carbon dioxide/water mixture.
Figure 26B shows a hybrid carbonation process that may combine a forced carbonation process with a stirred process. This mixing method takes advantage of the ability of the agitation method to effectively reach moderate carbonation levels and then passively continues the carbonation process over time using the ability of the forced carbonation method. The following is an example scenario of this hybrid system used in the
Initially, a carbonation container (2655) is provided and substantially filled with a fluid to be carbonated (2660), such as water. When the container is substantially full, it may be filled to the fill line such that a known amount of headspace remains in the container, and thus carbonation may provide consistent results. The
Since carbon dioxide is not released, forced carbonation may be performed, including maximizing the use of the internal structure shown in fig. 17-20C. Accordingly, carbonation proceeds over time to achieve "maximum carbonation" of the water.
If the user desires to carbonate the beverage (2673), the
After the water is carbonated to a desired level, the
In some embodiments, the user may specify a desired carbonation level in a particular beverage. In this case, if during the wait time, the user requests medium or mild carbonated water, the
One novel aspect of the
Off-the-shelf LLS already exists in a variety of forms including "floating switches", optical systems and conductivity based systems. Although these sensors could theoretically be used in "endless tank" systems, we propose several novel liquid level detection methods here that have advantages over existing off-the-shelf sensors.
The latter ('B') can be achieved by any kind of identifier connected to the container. This may be RFID, bar code, unique color or shape, etc. Further, the use of identifiers to track the most recent beverage for filling any beverage container, whether or not it is used as part of an endless container system, may be implemented. Thus, a user may have a glass or bottle with an incorporated RFID tag that identifies a previous container. When a user refills the container at the
One embodiment of such an "endless container" system may include coupling an RFID chip to a container. By coupling with the container, the RFID may in some cases serve both as an LLS (as described further below) and as an identification tag that the beverage dispensing machine may use to know exactly what beverage it should refill the container (e.g., the same beverage it previously filled the container with). The RFID chip will be able to transmit its unique ID to the beverage dispensing device in the following cases: 1) whenever an RFID is within sufficiently close range of its RFID reader, and 2) whenever an RFID is not intentionally or unintentionally blocked from its signal by signal blocking substances such as metals and water.
Fig. 27A and 27B illustrate one embodiment of a
As shown, the
The transmission range of RFID data is limited by a number of factors, including the size and orientation of the antenna, the amount of voltage and current used, etc. In addition, certain materials, such as metal or water, if located between the RFID and its power source or receiving antenna, may block or attenuate data transmission from and/or transmission power to the RFID. By utilizing these concepts, it is possible to install an RFID inside a float 2700 (e.g., a plastic ball) inside the
In such embodiments, the
In some embodiments, the attenuation level itself may provide information to the
Where the
Fig. 28A and 28B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a
As shown, the
Accordingly, the
Fig. 29A and 29B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a liquid level detector 2900 used in a beverage container 2910 in two states. In the illustrated embodiment, the liquid level detector 2900 is embedded in the base 2920 of the beverage container 2910. In such embodiments, the antenna 2930 for acquiring signals from the liquid level detector 2900 is mounted adjacent to the outer wall 2940 of the container 2910. Thus, when the container 2910 is full, the liquid level detector 2900 will be completely covered, and the beverage 2950 will block the space between the detector and the antenna 2930. Thus, when the beverage is depleted, a signal from detector 2900 may be retrieved via antenna 2930.
Fig. 30A and 30B show an alternative embodiment of a
In such embodiments, the walls of the container may be made of a combination of
Thus, the
Fig. 31A and 31B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a
As shown, in addition to
Additional embodiments of the "endless container" concept are also contemplated. For example, rather than relying on electronic detection of the need to refill a beverage, an "endless container" may also be implemented by relying on the user to place it into a container filling station only when the user wishes to fill it. Thus, the system would not require a LLS, but only the container would need to have an identification mechanism so that the refill machine could know the type of beverage previously added to the container and refill the container with the corresponding beverage. The identification mechanism may be coupled to the container in a variety of ways, including by embedding the identification mechanism into the container during manufacture, or by being adhered to the container by a user through the use of an adhesive or tape, or the like. The identification mechanism itself may be an RFID, a bar code, a unique color or shape, or any number of other existing mechanisms.
Furthermore, although RFID does not require an on-board power source, LLS systems with active data transmitters may be used as an alternative to RFID. Such transmitters require an on-board power source to operate. This power may be provided by a battery or capacitor connected to the LLS and this connected battery/capacitor may be charged whenever the container is placed into a refill system with its own power source (which may be a battery, wall outlet, solar, hydro, etc., as described elsewhere in this application). The wireless charging can be carried out by contacting the electrodes, winding coils and even by laser transmission (a solar panel is arranged on the container) and the like. Any container usage data recorded by the sensors on the container during this charging process may also be transmitted to the refill system.
Some embodiments may implement methods and systems for refilling a container with the correct amount of beverage. The refill system may refill the same bottle from which the depleted beverage has been detected, or alternatively, the refill system may fill a separate empty bottle with the same beverage from which the user has been detected to have been depleted from the bottle. In the former case, the refill station may refill the container upon detecting that the depleted container is placed below the beverage bottle mouth. In the latter case, the refill station may refill a new container whenever a) the in-use container is within data transmission range of the refill station (i.e., when it can tell the refill station that it has been depleted) and B) the in-use container has been depleted beyond some set threshold.
In embodiments where the system fills the second bottle when the first bottle is depleted, alternative methods for notifying the device of depletion of the first bottle are contemplated. For example, a user may manually send information to the system using, for example, an application associated with the system. Alternatively, a drive base may be provided for the first bottle remote from the second bottle at a convenient location. For example, a sensor and drive base designed to work with any of the embodiments of fig. 27-31 may be provided to be placed on a table or in a user's refrigerator. Thus, when the depleted bottle is returned to its base on a table, or to a refrigerator, a second bottle will automatically fill up for retrieval by the user.
In the case of a completely new container being filled or a completely empty container being refilled, the refill station may refill the container with the same amount of liquid previously recorded, whereas in the case of a partially depleted container being refilled, the refill station will only add enough beverage to fill the container without spilling it. This "topping up" can be achieved by combining the following two approaches: A) using a weight scale, B) knowing the weight and maximum beverage carrying capacity of the filled receptacle, C) subtracting the known weight of the receptacle from the weighed weight to calculate the weight (and thus the volume) of the liquid currently remaining in the receptacle, and finally D) adding enough beverage to fill the receptacle.
FIG. 32 is a flow chart illustrating a method for delivering fluid to a container. For example, the method may be implemented using the described
The
If no signal is retrieved, it is determined that the
Thus, if the retrieved signal matches exactly the expected signal, then the
If the beverage in the container has not been depleted beyond the threshold amount and no signal is detected or the detected signal is below the threshold intensity, the method continues to monitor the container (at 3210).
Upon detecting that the container has been completely depleted (at 3230) or depleted beyond a threshold amount (at 3240),
Fig. 33A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized
Fig. 33B is another perspective view of the customized beverage making device of fig. 33A including a
FIG. 34A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a customized beverage making device that includes a
FIG. 34B is a perspective view of the customized beverage making device of FIG. 34A, showing the removable front panel removed. As shown, the device includes a
Fig. 34C is a rear perspective view of the customized beverage making device of fig. 34A, including a water tank 3410 for storing water. Fig. 34D is a rear perspective view of the customized
FIG. 35A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the customized
FIG. 36 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the customized
As further shown in fig. 33A-36, embodiments of the provided
Although the moisture sensor is described in a particular location, it should be understood that such a moisture sensor may be located elsewhere on the
FIG. 37 shows a schematic view of a
It is often advantageous for the
Cassette identification also allows the
The cartridge identification will also enable the machine or networked backend to notice if the user is making any new flavor mixes that may be promoted to a broader audience, thereby "crowd sourcing" the flavor creation.
Cassette identification can also enable the
For example, where RFID tags are used to identify the
If the cassette is a disposable compartment (i.e. sent as a sealed container and disposed of after a single use in the machine), the
To identify cassettes and keep
In such an embodiment, each
After encoding the
If the refill pack's cover is fitted with an array of permanent magnets, a similar concept can be used to transfer information directly from the large syrup refill pack to the bay, whereby the magnets will abut the magnetic stripe on the cartridge (e.g., if the magnetic stripe is on the cartridge's cover, it will press against the refill pack's cover when the bay is being filled).
Alternatively, if the compartment is completely or at least partially transparent, and if the contents of the compartment change with color, the
FIG. 38A shows an alternative embodiment for marking the contents of the
As shown, the
In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 38B, the RFID tag 3850 may be embedded and permanently encoded in the cover 3840 of the
FIGS. 39A-39C illustrate an
As shown in fig. 39A, the air input holes 3710 can be on the top surface of the
As shown, the
FIG. 40 shows an
Fig. 41A-41D illustrate a pumping process for removing the contents of the
In some embodiments, each time syrup is pumped out of the add cassette 3700 (e.g., as air pumped into the
FIG. 42 shows an alternative embodiment of a takeoff pipe for use in the context of the additive cartridge shown in FIGS. 41A-41C. As shown, the top of the
One purpose of the dome-shaped syrup tube is to prevent the syrup from dripping from the chamber when handled by the user. A larger internal cross-section of the pipe allows for faster and easier pumping of fluid into the pipe (less friction). However, when fluid enters the horizontal portion (e.g., U-shaped portion 3750) of the conduit from the vertical portion of the conduit (e.g., the vertical outlet side of the syrup conduit), if the horizontal portion has a "high" internal dimension, then the water will spread out from the "ceiling" of the conduit under the force of gravity and be drawn away, allowing any air to easily bypass any air that previously pushed the droplets in the vertical portion of the conduit. This air bypass margin can prevent successful droplet pickup through the horizontal portion of the conduit. Thus, in order to prevent such suction failure and to allow the droplets to be successfully sucked back into the vertical inlet side of the syrup tube, the horizontal portion of the syrup tube must have a "short and wide" dimension, allowing the gravity flattened droplets to still fill the entire cross-section of the tube, and still allowing the suction to draw all of the syrup from the outlet side of the syrup tube to the inlet side of the syrup tube.
FIGS. 43A-43D illustrate one advantage of the embodiment of FIG. 42 over the embodiment of FIG. 40. Fig. 43A and 43B show the effect of reverse pumping described on a
FIGS. 44A, 44B and 44C show views of an
In the embodiment shown, the
Cleaning pipes is often problematic because the pipes are long, small diameter channels that are difficult to clean using conventional cleaning mechanisms, such as high velocity water or scrubbing perpendicular to the pipe wall. It is unlikely that a user such as the described
For example, one way in which the cleaning process can be simplified is to replace the siphon or
As shown, first surface 4610 and second surface 4630 may be planar. Alternatively, the surface may have some curvature to facilitate incorporation of the surface into the
In such an embodiment, deconstructed tube 4600 can be opened along its length so that the inner wall of the tube can be easily exposed and can be cleaned by hand or in a dishwasher.
FIGS. 47A-47B show perspective and side views of an deconstructed siphon 4600 incorporated into the
In this configuration, the
As shown, the first surface 4610 and the second surface 4630 may be angled relative to the closing direction of the
In this embodiment, as well as in all other embodiments in which the
Forming a good pneumatic seal is more difficult than forming a good hydraulic seal because gas is more likely to traverse smaller seal defects (e.g., gaps or cracks in the seal) than fluid. Typical pneumatic sealing solutions include the use of O-rings or adhesives or fillers, such as thread-lock glue, silicone sealant or teflon tape, which can minimize the gaps through which the gas passes. Such a solution may not be effective enough for the
These unique requirements stem from the fact that the
Thus, as shown in fig. 48, the seal may be provided as a magnetic coupling. In such an embodiment, the magnet 4830 would be located on the cartridge docking station 4810 or the
By sandwiching the rubber-like material, a strong seal can be formed. Because the seal is magnetic, the coupling does not require a male/female or male/female fit, and an unskilled user can apply and disengage the coupling.
In some embodiments, to further facilitate proper orientation of the
As shown in fig. 49A-B, magnets can be configured to ensure that the wells 4900 of the
As shown, magnet 4920 may be incorporated into base 4900 of
Moreover, because of the gripping action of lid 4910, the lid surface that mates with docking station 4930 and base 4900 may be relatively simple, with minimal gaps in which additives may accumulate and become hard and difficult to clean. For example, the mating surface may simply be a flat surface that increases the contact surface area between the components.
The
To prevent the
Such a "dripless" mechanism would further allow the
In some embodiments, a cartridge pre-filled with syrup may be provided to a user instead of or in addition to the
As described above, the flavor and use of the additives from the
However, in many embodiments, such as where the syrup or other additive may have a different viscosity, the usage can be more accurately and precisely tracked by monitoring the output of the
Alternatively, the
By counting the number of drops that fall from the
Because the user can either 1) remove and replace the
To ensure that syrup is dispensed from the
If the
In order for the drop sensor to accurately assess the number of drops, it is useful to have the drops always land in a known position. Fig. 53A-53D show a perspective view and a side, front and top view, respectively, of the
Thus, the
As shown, the
In addition to knowing the exact location at which a drop will fall, a drop detection system will function best if all drops fall at substantially the same location. Where
thus, the
Thus, as shown, embodiments of the
Alternatively, the outputs from
To ensure that the spout 5610 is in the desired designated position, the docking position may include a detection mechanism so that proper cartridge orientation can be confirmed. As shown in fig. 57, this may include magnets in the lid 5710 and base 5720, respectively, that must be properly aligned for the cassette to mate with the base. If the magnets are misaligned, the
The magnets 5710, 5720 may also be used to secure the air inlet and may be offset from the center of the corresponding cassette cover 5730 such that an incorrect orientation would not allow the cassette cover 5730 to be connected to the
The drop sensor is shown in fig. 52A-52B as a
This
In the event that the capacitive sense wires 5810 do come into contact with the falling
Another type of sensor that can detect liquid droplets is a reflective object sensor 5900, which takes advantage of the fact that water is an Infrared (IR) reflector. Such reflective object sensors include an infrared emitter and an infrared detector that are oriented such that they are at an angle to each other to allow the emitter IR beam to reflect back to the detector if a reflective object is placed at some distance in front of them. The sensor 5900 will be mounted within the
FIGS. 60A-60B illustrate an embodiment of a capacitive sensor for use in the
As shown in fig. 60B, when the
FIG. 61A shows a first embodiment of a
To use the
Since the carbon dioxide canister is made of metal, such capacitive electrodes may also be used to detect when a user has installed or removed the carbon dioxide canister from the
Although the present invention has been described with some particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments of the invention, it is not to be limited to any such detail or embodiment or any particular embodiment, but rather is to be construed with reference to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in light of the prior art and, therefore, is intended to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments foreseen by the inventor for which an enabling description was available, notwithstanding that insubstantial modifications of the invention, not presently foreseen, may nonetheless represent equivalents thereto.
- 上一篇：一种医用注射器针头装配设备
- 下一篇：用于降低食物产品中金属含量的试剂及其相关方法