JP7410468B2 - Pour nozzle and beverage server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing nozzle and a beverage server .

As a beverage server that dispenses beverages contained in small bottles such as beer bottles into containers, a dispensing nozzle is inserted into the bottle and pressure is applied inside the storage container to push down the liquid level of the beverage. There is a type that sends out the beverage through an outlet nozzle.

The beverage server described in Patent Document 1 includes a main body with an open upper end, an inner lid installed on the upper part of the main body, and an outer lid that covers the inner lid and covers the upper end of the main body. The inner lid has a plurality of liquid lifting pipes that are respectively inserted into the plurality of beverage cans, and a beverage discharge pipe that communicates with the plurality of liquid lifting pipes and discharges the beverage to the outside of the main body. The outer lid has a pump that sends air into the space within the main body, and an operating member that performs a switching operation between discharging and non-discharging the beverage. However, such a beverage server requires a long dispensing nozzle, which is disadvantageous in terms of maintenance such as hygiene management.

Patent Document 2 describes a beverage dispensing device that pours out a beverage by gravity. The beverage dispensing device has a bottle dispensing valve attached to the bottle. The spouting valve for a bottle is composed of a mounting base that is attached to the spout of the bottle, and a spouting nozzle that is detachably connected to the mounting base, and the bottle, the mounting base, and the spouting nozzle are It is arranged coaxially with the vertical axis of the bottle pouring valve. However, in such a configuration, if the inclination angle of the bottle is adjusted appropriately, the inclination angle of the pouring nozzle part becomes inappropriate, and conversely, if the inclination angle of the pouring nozzle part is adjusted appropriately, the inclination of the bottle becomes Corners may become improper and in either case the dispensed beverage may splatter or foam. Also, in such a configuration, the lateral dimensions occupied by the beverage dispensing device and bottle may be large.

In addition, with the method of dispensing beverages by gravity, when there is a large amount of beverage in the storage container, high pressure acts on the beverage in the dispensing valve, and as the amount of beverage in the storage container decreases, pressure is applied to the beverage in the dispensing valve. pressure decreases. When pouring out a beverage, the beverage is poured out from the storage container by gravity, and at the same time, air flows in through the mouth of the storage container. When this inflow occurs like a breather, a pulsation may occur in which the dispensed flow rate of the beverage changes intermittently. Such pulsations can cause coarse foam to be generated in the sparkling beverage dispensed into the container during dispensing of the sparkling beverage. Further, even when pouring out a non-sparkling beverage, the beverage poured into the container may splash. Pulsation is likely to occur when the pressure acting on the beverage in the dispensing valve is outside the proper range. Therefore, in a system that dispenses a beverage by gravity, characteristics that suppress pulsation over a wide pressure range may be required.

Patent No. 6062590 JP2018-58632A

The present invention aims to provide an advantageous dispensing nozzle for reducing pulsations.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a dispensing nozzle for dispensing a beverage contained in a bottle into a container, and the dispensing nozzle has an inlet through which the beverage flows and an outlet through which the beverage flows out. a tube; and a valve assembly having one end connected to the bottle and the other end connected to the inlet of the tube, the tube having an upstream portion on the inlet side and an upstream portion on the outlet side. a downstream portion of the tube; and an intermediate portion between the upstream portion and the downstream portion, the intermediate portion including a bend forming a curve in the flow path of the beverage in the tube; A flow passage cross-sectional area of a portion on the side of the upstream portion at is smaller than a flow passage cross-sectional area of a portion on the side of the downstream portion at the bending portion, and the flow passage is connected to the traveling direction of the flow passage in the upstream portion and the valve assembly. The axial direction of the bottle is aligned with the axial direction of the bottle.
A second aspect of the present invention relates to a beverage server, and the beverage server includes a nozzle holding part that holds the pouring nozzle according to the first aspect, and a bottle holding part that holds the bottle in an inclined state. and pouring out the beverage contained in the bottle into the container through the pouring nozzle.

According to the present invention, a dispensing nozzle is provided which is advantageous for reducing pulsation.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a beverage server according to an embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view (partially a sectional view) showing the configuration of a beverage server according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a valve assembly and dispensing nozzle of an embodiment of a beverage server. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a valve assembly and dispensing nozzle of an embodiment of a beverage server. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pouring nozzle according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pouring nozzle according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

1 and 2 are side views showing the configuration of a beverage server 1 according to an embodiment. In FIG. 2, a part of the beverage server 1 is shown cut away, and the shaded part shows the cross-sectional configuration. 3 and 4 show the configuration of the valve assembly 30 and pouring nozzle 50 of the beverage server 1. In FIG. 4, a portion of the valve assembly 30 is shown cut away, and the shaded portion indicates a cross-sectional configuration. 5 and 6 show the configuration of the pouring nozzle 50.

Beverage server 1 pours out the beverage contained in bottle 10 into container 20 by gravity acting on it. The term bottle should be interpreted broadly, and the materials that make up the bottle 10 are not limited to any particular material. The bottle 10 can be made of, for example, glass, plastic, metal, wood, paper, or a composite material of two or more of these materials. The beverage may be a sparkling beverage such as beer, but may also be a non-sparkling beverage.

Beverage server 1 may include a valve assembly 30 and a dispensing nozzle 50. Valve assembly 30 is attached to mouth 11 of bottle 10. The valve assembly 30 may include a valve 35 that controls the dispensing of beverages from the beverage server 1, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). Further, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3(a), and 3(b), the valve assembly 30 may include an operating section 37 for opening and closing the valve 35. As shown in FIG. 5, the spouting nozzle 50 has a receiving port (inflow port) 51 at one end for receiving the outflow port 31 of the valve assembly 30, and a spouting port (outflow port) 52 at the other end. can have The dispensing nozzle 50 can dispense the beverage that flows from the bottle 10 through the valve assembly 30 into the receiving port 51 through the dispensing port 52 and into the container 20 .

The beverage server 1 may include a bottle holding section 41 and a nozzle holding section 42. The beverage server 1 may include a main body structure 40 , and the bottle holder 41 and the nozzle holder 42 may form part of the main structure 40 or be supported by the main structure 40 . The bottle holding part 41 can hold the bottle 10 with the valve assembly 30 attached to the mouth part 11 in an inclined state. Here, the tilted state means that the axis LX1 (for example, the central axis) of the bottle 10 is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane.

The inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 is defined as the angle of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 with respect to the horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. 3(b). The nozzle holding part 42 can hold the pouring nozzle 50. The inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 is defined as the angle of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 with respect to the horizontal plane, as shown in FIG. 3(b). The inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 is larger than the inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 held by the bottle holder 41. The inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 and the inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 are determined individually. This allows the beverage contained in the bottle 10 to be quietly dispensed into the container 20, and prevents, for example, generating rough foam in the dispensed beverage or preventing the dispensed beverage from splashing. It is advantageous for

Further, when the inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 and the inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 are made the same, and the inclination angle α (=β) is set to an appropriate inclination angle, the bottle 10 can be used as a beverage server. 1, the lateral dimension (horizontal dimension) occupied by the bottle 10 and the beverage server 1 is large. On the other hand, if the inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 is larger than the inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 held by the bottle holder 41, the inclination angles α and β can be set to appropriate inclination angles and the bottle The lateral dimension (horizontal dimension) occupied by 10 and the beverage server 1 can be reduced.

The inclination angle α of the axis LX1 of the bottle 10 held by the bottle holder 41 may be greater than or equal to 20 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees, more preferably greater than or equal to 25 degrees and less than or equal to 30 degrees. Such an angle of inclination α prevents the beverage from remaining in the bottle 10 while preventing pressure fluctuations due to a drop in the liquid level of the beverage in the bottle 10 during dispensing (e.g., acting on the beverage in the valve assembly 30). This is advantageous in order to reduce pressure changes (or pressure changes acting on the beverage within the bend 531, described below). Reducing pressure fluctuations facilitates designing the dispensing nozzle 50 to reduce foaming and splashing of the dispensed beverage.

The inclination angle β of the axis LX2 of the spout 52 is, for example, preferably 70 degrees or more and 110 degrees or less, and most preferably 90 degrees. Such an angle of inclination β is advantageous in order to reduce the lateral dimension (horizontal dimension) occupied by the bottle 10 and the beverage server 1. Such an angle of inclination β is also advantageous in order to reduce the impact on the beverage leaving the spout 52, which impact can induce the generation of coarse foam.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, for convenience of explanation, the pouring nozzle 50 held by the nozzle holding part 42 is shown extracted from FIG. 1. That is, in reality, the pouring nozzle 50 is held by the nozzle holding part 42 and incorporated into the beverage server 1. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the bottle 10 is constructed such that the outlet port 31 of the valve assembly 30 attached to the mouth portion 11 is inserted into the receiving port (inflow port) 51. It can be placed in the holding part 41.

Beverage server 1 may include a valve drive mechanism (not shown) that drives valve 35 of valve assembly 30 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, the valve drive mechanism has an engaging portion 43 that engages with the operating portion 37 of the valve assembly 30, and the bottle 10 to which the valve assembly 30 is attached is placed in the bottle holding portion 41. (at this time, the valve 35 is in a closed state), the operating portion 37 can engage with the engaging portion 43. By rotating the operating portion 37, the valve drive mechanism can change the valve 35 from the closed state to the open state and start dispensing the beverage.

As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the valve assembly 30 includes a fixing part 32 fixed to the bottle 10, an outlet (connection port) 31 connected to the tube 55, and a fixing part 32. It may include a flow path structure 34 that forms a flow path 33 between it and the outlet (connection port) 31, and a valve 35 disposed in the flow path 33. The flow path structure 34 may have a vent 36 disposed between the valve 35 and the outlet (connection port) 31 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the beverage server 1 includes a container holder 60 that holds the container 20, and an inclination angle of the container 20 that changes in accordance with the progress of dispensing the beverage contained in the bottle 10. A tilting mechanism 44 that drives the container holder 60 may also be provided. The beverage server 1 may include an ultrasonic vibrator 70 that supplies ultrasonic waves to the beverage dispensed from the bottle 10 into the container 20 through the valve assembly 30 and the dispensing nozzle 50 to generate fine bubbles.

When a pouring button (not shown) is pressed, the beverage server 1 causes the tilting mechanism 44 to tilt the container 20 from the upright position, and causes the valve drive mechanism to rotate the operating section 37 to close the valve 35. It can then be opened to start dispensing the beverage. After the set time has elapsed, the beverage server 1 returns the container 20 to an upright state (tilt angle = 90 degrees) using the tilting mechanism 44, and generates fine bubbles in the beverage by operating the ultrasonic vibrator 70. Then pour it into container 20.

The configuration of the pouring nozzle 50 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The pouring nozzle 50 is used to pour the beverage contained in the bottle 10 into the container 20. The dispensing nozzle 50 can be used in the beverage server 1 by being connected to the bottle 10 via the valve assembly 30, but it may also be used by a user holding the bottle 10 by hand. Further, the spouting nozzle 50 may be provided with a connecting portion for directly connecting the spouting nozzle 50 to the bottle 10. Furthermore, another member such as a tubular member may be connected to the spout (outlet) 52 side of the spout nozzle 50.

The dispensing nozzle 50 may include a tube 55 having an inlet (inlet) 51 through which the beverage flows and a spout (outlet) 52 through which the beverage flows out. The pouring nozzle 50 may have a handle 511 for operation. Handle 511 can be connected to tube 55, for example. The tube 55 has an upstream portion 510 on the side of the inlet (inflow port) 51, a downstream portion 520 on the side of the spout (outflow port) 52, and an intermediate portion 530 between the upstream portion 510 and the downstream portion 520. It can be included. The intermediate portion 530 may include a bend 531 that forms a curve C in the beverage flow path 550 within the tube 55 .

FIG. 6A shows a cross section of a portion of the bent portion 531 on the upstream portion 510 side, more specifically, a cross section taken along the line A-A' in FIG. FIG. 6(b) shows a cross section of a portion of the bent portion 531 on the side of the downstream portion 520, more specifically, a cross section taken along the line B-B' in FIG. The flow passage cross-sectional area A1 of the portion of the bent portion 531 on the upstream portion 510 side (AA' cross section) is equal to the flow passage cross-sectional area A2 of the portion of the bent portion 531 on the downstream portion 520 side (BB' cross section) Preferably, it is smaller. It has been confirmed that such a configuration is effective in reducing pulsations caused by intermittent changes in the flow rate of the beverage dispensed.

In a cross section of a part of the bent portion 531 taken along a plane perpendicular to the flow path 550, more specifically, in FIG. It is preferable that the inner surface of the curve C has a radius of curvature of the first portion P1 on the inside of the curve C smaller than the radius of curvature of the second portion P2 on the outside of the curve C. In other words, in FIG. 6(a) (AA' cross section in FIG. 5), the inner surface of the bent portion 531 facing the flow path 550 has a curvature of the first portion P1 on the inside of the curve C. It is preferable that the curvature of the second portion P2 is larger than that of the second portion P2. It has been confirmed that such a configuration is extremely effective in reducing pulsation. In one example, in FIG. 6(a) (AA' cross section in FIG. 5), the first portion P1 of the inner surface of the bent portion 531 facing the flow path 550, which is closer to the inside of the curve C, has a circular arc shape. The second portion P2 of the inner surface of the bent portion 531 facing the flow path 550, which is closer to the outside of the curve C, may have a linear shape. In one example, in FIG. 6(a) (AA' cross section in FIG. 5), the wall thickness of the first portion P1 on the inside of the curve C of the inner surface of the bent portion 531 facing the flow path 550 is is thinner than the wall thickness of the second portion P2 of the inner surface of the bent portion 531 facing the flow path 550, which is closer to the outside of the curve C.

The angle γ formed by the traveling direction of the flow path 550 in the upstream portion 510 and the traveling direction of the flow path 550 in the downstream portion 520 may be 110 degrees or more and 125 degrees or less, more preferably 115 degrees or more and 120 degrees or less. . Such an angle γ is advantageous in order to prevent the beverage from remaining in the bottle 10 and to reduce pressure fluctuations due to a drop in the liquid level of the beverage in the bottle 10 during pouring.

In the above description, the valve assembly 30 is treated as a component different from the spout nozzle 50, but the assembly of the tube 55 and the valve assembly 30 in the above description may be understood as the spout nozzle.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the invention.

1: Beverage server, 10: Bottle, 11: Mouth part, 20: Container, 30: Valve assembly, 31: Outlet, 32: Fixing part, 33: Channel, 34: Channel structure, 35: Valve, 36 : Vent, 40: Main body structure, 41: Bottle holding part, 42: Nozzle holding part, 43: Engagement part, 44: Tilting mechanism, 50: Output nozzle, 51: Receiving port (inflow port), 52: Note Outlet (outflow port), 70: Ultrasonic transducer, 510: Upstream portion, 520: Downstream portion, 530: Intermediate portion, 531: Bend portion, 550: Channel, P1: First portion, P2: Second portion, A1: Channel cross-sectional area at A-A' cross section, A2: Channel cross-sectional area at B-B' cross section, C: Curve

Claims (8)

A pouring nozzle for pouring a beverage contained in a bottle into a container,
a tube having an inlet through which the beverage flows in and an outlet through which the beverage flows out ;
a valve assembly connected at one end to the bottle and at the other end to the inlet of the tube ;
The tube includes an upstream portion on the inlet side, a downstream portion on the outlet side, and an intermediate portion between the upstream portion and the downstream portion, the intermediate portion being the inner portion of the tube. a bent portion forming a curve in the flow path of the beverage;
The flow passage cross-sectional area of the portion of the bent portion on the upstream portion side is smaller than the flow passage cross-sectional area of the portion of the bent portion on the downstream portion side, and the flow path cross-sectional area of the portion of the bent portion on the downstream portion side is the axial direction of the bottle connected to the valve assembly is aligned;
A pouring nozzle characterized by: In a cross section obtained by cutting a part of the bent portion along a plane perpendicular to the flow path, the inner surface of the bent portion facing the flow path has a radius of curvature of a first portion closer to the inside of the curve, and a radius of curvature of a first portion closer to the inside of the curve smaller than the radius of curvature of the second part of
The spouting nozzle according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the cross section, the first portion of the inner surface of the bent portion facing the flow path that is closer to the inside of the curve has a circular arc shape; The second portion closer to the outside of the curve includes a straight line shape.
The spout nozzle according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the cross section, the thickness of the first portion of the inner surface of the bent portion facing the flow path that is closer to the inside of the curve is the thickness of the first portion of the inner surface of the bent portion facing the flow path that is thinner than the wall thickness of the second portion closer to the outside;
The spouting nozzle according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The angle between the direction of travel of the flow path in the upstream portion and the direction of travel of the flow path in the downstream portion is 110 degrees or more and 125 degrees or less,
The spouting nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The bending portion curves the flow path while changing the cross-sectional area of the flow path at the bending portion from the upstream portion side toward the downstream portion side.
The spouting nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The valve assembly includes a fixing part fixed to the bottle, a connection port connected to the tube, a flow path structure forming a flow path between the fixation part and the connection port, and the flow path. a valve disposed in the flow path structure, the flow path structure having a vent disposed between the valve and the connection port;
The spouting nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A beverage server,
A nozzle holding part that holds the pouring nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
A bottle holding part that holds the bottle in an inclined state,
A beverage server characterized in that the beverage contained in the bottle is poured into a container through the pouring nozzle.

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