AU2008207387A1 - Upright for beverage dispenser - Google Patents

Description

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0 M 2 00 o Dated: August 18, 2008 Andale Repetition Engineering Pty. Limited A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-08-08;15:45 19- 6-0616:46 ;A atlock Ass~oi~te 16 AUST Canberra ;51 3 9664 900 7/6 7/ 26 Rngrulation a.2 -1-

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STAND)ARD PATENT

APPLICANT:

NUMBER:

FILING DATE: Andale Repetition Engineering Pty. Limited Invention Title: UPRIGHT FOR BEVERAGE DISPENSER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19--08-08;915:45 ;A -atii cc< Associates P AUST C-berra ;61 3 9864 9900 a/ 26 00 S2 UPRIGHT FOR BEVERAGE DISPENSER Technical Area 00 M This invention relates to the area of equipment for dispensing beverages and in Sparticular to apparatus for use in dispensing cool beverages such as beer and other 00 O such beverages which are dispensed through a tap device.

Background to the Invention Beverage dispensers are used in many locations such as bars, cafeterias, restaurants, arenas and stadiums to provide drinks such as carbonated beverages and the like on an at demand type basis.

Such beverages are required to be kept cool and although the invention described may apply to all manner of "on line" delivered beverages the discussion herein will, for convenience, be in terms of the delivery of beer.

In the hospitality industry beer is customarily stored in barrels and delivered along lines of tubing to its outlet point, presumably at a bar.

Clearly there must be some provision for cooling individual lines of beer however, in recent times, where many different types of beer may need to be provided on tap simultaneously, a requirement has arisen that such cooling should take place close to the outlet point to avoid duplication of cooling systems.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-9--8:1:45;A TatlcK As8-ciates tP AUST Caiterra ;61 3 9654 9 00 00 3 Cooling systems exist whereby a coolant such as ethylene glycol is in a heat exchange O relationship with lines carrying beer. The temperature at which beer is delivered affects its taste, the public however tends to perceive that a desirable beer temperature is well OO chilled, perhaps close to freezing, at which temperature much of the flavour is lost.

0 0 While it is desirable to dispense a beer product at its optimum temperature it is 0 O preferred from a marketing point of view that beer appear to be dispensed at a temperature close to freezing. This has been achieved by the provision of a dispenser having an outlet means which is chilled by a coolant such that condensation or ice can form on it while the beer, by being passed through an insulated tube internal to the outlet means, is maintained at its optimum temperature.

Such a chilled outlet or font is of the type having an upright within which beer lines pass through coolant flowing through the upright. The dispensing taps in these units being located on a crosspiece adjacent the top of the upright concerned.

These dispensers can be seen in restaurants, hotels and bars and generally include a standard dispensing crosspiece mounted on a stainless steel upright or the like.

Consequently, while a frosted outlet may provide some visual interest, and imply some desirable characteristic of the beer dispensed, such dispensing units are by and large aesthetically uninteresting.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-08--08;15:45 Tatlock Associarres P AUST Camberra :1 3 9854 9900 4 10,' 26 00 0 4

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Cl Outline of the Invention Z It is an object of this invention to provide a beer, or other such beverage, dispensing means which is somewhat more aesthetically interesting than previous such beverage dispensing means.

00 CO The invention is a beverage dispensing font, including an upright through which OO beverage lines and coolant pass to a beverage outlet device, said device having at least 0 Sone beverage dispensing tap, wherein at least part of the beverage dispensing font is transparent such that any object in the coolant is visible to an observer.

It is preferred that the upright of the font be transparent. It is further preferred that the upright be manufactured from a plastic material. It is also preferred that the coolant movement be turbulent thereby causing any object in the coolant to move in a turbulent manner.

While any type of object may be added to the coolant it is preferred that these objects be decorative and eye catching in nature. In a preferred embodiment of the invention such objects are air bubbles although it is envisaged that solid decorative items could also be used.

It may also be preferred that other features such as illumination and the like may be associated with the upright. in particular it may be preferred that the exterior of the upright is chilled by the internal coolant such that condensation and/or ice forms on this exterior.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-068-08;15:45 ;A ratooc AssCciate ;P AUST Canber- ;81 3 9664 5500 11/ 28 00 c In order that the invention may be more readily understood a specific embodiment Sthereof will be described by way of non limiting example with reference to the Saccompanying drawings.

O0 Outline of the Drawing Figures Fig. 1 Shows a perspective view of the font of the invention; 0 00 Fig. 2 Shows a cross section through the Upright of the invention; 0 Fig. 3 Is a schematic view of the components of the font; Outline of an Embodiment of the Invention Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention being a beverage dispensing font 10. The font 10 including an upright 20 and a delivery unit 30 mounted on a base The upright 20 has outer walls 25 of transparent plastic through which beer lines 21 pass around a support member 26, the upright being flooded with a coolant 22, in this case ethylene glycol, the coolant having decorative air bubbles 23 therein.

The beer lines 21 pass to delivery taps 31 through cross member 35 with the coolant passing around the beer lines and acting to chill the exterior of the delivery unit 30 such that condensation and icing may occur upon it, thus giving the unit a frosty appearance, which gives the impression of ice cold beer, as well as being aesthetically appealing.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 1 -08-08;15:45 ;A 73tloo~ AS-Ciate, P AU3T Canbfera 3 9664 9900 V 12/ 26 00 S6 As the upright 20 too is flooded with the ethylene glycol coolant it also becomes very Schilled and condensation or ice forms on the outside of this upright means.

The beer however has little thermal contact with the glycol and hence maintains its 00 desired temperature.

00 In order to add visual interest to the upright, the wall 25 of the upright of the invention 0 0 is manufactured from transparent polycarbonate although any transparent material such as glass could be used. We have however found that, although perspex could be used, it tends to craze and become somewhat opaque with use.

The visual interest imparted to the upright is provided by the input to the coolant of air bubbles which move with the turbulent motion of the coolant thereby providing an interesting motion which an observer can watch. At the same time the bubbles may provide an impression that the beer being delivered through the upright and outlet is close to freezing temperature.

Further visual interest is provided by the optional addition of colouring to the coolant, preferably a food grade dye, as well as illumination of the bubbles provided by light sources 45 interior to the base 40 through which the beer lines pass into the upright and through which the coolant enters 27 and exits 28 the upright. The pressure of incoming coolant acts to create a circulation within the font such that the bubbles move in a turbulent fashion within the font. Excess coolant is forced out 28 of the font and the bubbles disperse in the coolant supply tank.

COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19--08-08;15:45 ;A tlock Associates P AUST Canberra ;51 3 964 990( 00 S7 1 The air bubbles are input to the coolant below the font by means of a valved T junction Sconnected to an air compressor.

It is envisaged that other embodiments of the invention may incorporate objects, other OO than air bubbles, of a decorative nature in the coolant. Preferably these objects would r have interesting shapes such as those of ice crystals or the like. Objects used for 00 decoration in the coolant could however have any shape or colour desired. These 0 0 objects could be manufactured from any desired material and be of any chosen shape or colour, their presence is to add interest to the dispensing apparatus.

In a further embodiment of the invention, if it is envisaged that the beer or other beverage lines not be visible, it is envisaged that the upright could be surrounded by a transparent layer also containing moving coolant and objects. If this embodiment were used the central part of the upright containing the beverage lines could be of a smaller diameter than usual due to the heat transfer effect of the outer layer of coolant.

In addition, while a transparent upright has been discussed here, it is envisaged that other parts of the dispensing font, such as the crosspiece, could also be transparent if desired. The components of the crosspiece as described in the preferred embodiment of this invention are manufactured from metal however any appropriate material could be used.

It is envisaged that other embodiments of the invention will exhibit any number of and any combination of the features of the previously described and whilst we have COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-08-08;15:45 ;A Ttlck Associatr PAST Cee;1 64200P 1/O P AUST Canberra ;61 3 95B4 -:IOC 14/ 26 00 8 described herein two specific embodiments of the invention it is to be understood that ;Z variations and modifications in this can be made without departing from the spirit and C*N scope thereof.

00 00 cOMS IDNo: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19

Claims (1)

19-0808;15:45 ;A atlock Associat-: IP AUST Cant-r. ;61 3 9664 9900 A 16= 26 00 0 9 The claims defining the invention are as follows: S1. A beverage dispensing font including an upright through which beverage lines _and coolant pass to a beverage outlet device, said device having at least one beverage dispensing tap, wherein at least part of the beverage dispensing font 00 is transparent such that any object in the coolant is visible to an observer. 00 2. A font as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upright has a periphery which is Ssubstantially transparent. 3. A font as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upright is manufactured from a plastic material. 4. A font as claimed in claim 2 wherein coolant movement is turbulent and causes any object in the coolant to move in a turbulent manner. A font as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein air bubbles are objects carried in the coolant. 6. A font as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upright is mounted on a base through which the beer lines pass into the upright and coolant passes into and out of the upright. 7. A font as claimed in claim 6 wherein the base is provided with illumination sources; COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19 19-08-08;15:45 ;A atl..K 6Ss..Ciate PAS abr C1 396 6C6 1/ P AUST Ca terra ;61 3 9664 9SOC *t 16/ 26 00 8. A font substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 24 July 2002 Andale Repetition Engineering Pty. Limited By its Patent Attorneys A TATLOCK ASSOCIATES COMS ID No: ARCS-202713 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:47 Date 2008-08-19