ES2539002T3 - Refrigerated beverage dispensing system - Google Patents

Abstract

Beverage dispensing system (S) installable on the wall (2 ') of a support or column (2), said system (S) comprising a dispensing tap (3) of said beverage, a heat exchanger (5) arranged in contact with said dispensing tap (3), a dispensing unit (1), said dispensing unit (1) having adequate isolation means (12, 14) for insulating said heat exchanger relative to said wall (2 ' ) and passing at least one conduit (4) of said beverage to be dispensed through said heat exchanger (5) and in communication with said dispensing tap (3), and cooling means (6) of said exchanger (5) of heat, characterized in that said dispensing unit is arranged astride said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2), said heat exchanger (5) being arranged through said dispensing unit (1), whereby said dispensing unit (1) comprises a bushing (11) f rontal fixing arranged on the front face of said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2), and by which said insulating means comprise a rear fixing sleeve (12) arranged on the rear face of said wall (2) ') of said support or column (2), said rear bushing (12) being made of a thermally insulating material, coupled to said front bushing (11) and adapted to insulate said heat exchanger (5) from said wall (2' ).

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Refrigerated beverage dispensing system

The present invention relates to an improved beverage dispensing system.

More specifically, the invention relates to a system for beverage dispensing plants, such as beer and the like, which allow cooling by thermal conduction of both the pipeline through which the beverage to be dispensed flows in the direction of tap, like the tap itself, without the generation of condensation on the surrounding surfaces.

Henceforth, the description will be directed to the beverage dispensing plants or columns, although it is obvious that it should not be considered limited to this specific use.

As is well known, there are currently several systems capable of dispensing drinks. Typically, such systems have a plurality of tanks, part of which contain different types of syrups or beverages, such as beer and the like, and the other tanks contain carbonated and non-carbonated water, and are connected by suitable conduits and respective pumps to the dispensing taps.

The drinks to be dispensed are generally cooled by suitable means, to keep them at a suitable temperature before transporting them through said ducts for consumption.

However, when the drinks reach the tap, after each dispensation a certain amount of said beverage to be dispensed remains in it, so that it is heated and therefore dispensed in the subsequent dispensing at a temperature that is not correct. This can generate an excessive amount of foam, particularly in the case of beer, and the proliferation of bacteria.

Also, when the temperature difference between the duct or the tap, through which the drinks are dispensed, and the column wall is high, condensation may occur on the surface of the latter, with the consequence of that energy is dispersed and also constitutes an unpleasant little aesthetic effect.

Patent application EP 1717190 A2 describes a beverage dispensing system according to the preamble of claim 1.

In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a system for dispensing beverages capable of exceeding the limits of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to propose a system capable of cooling the tap through which the beverage is dispensed.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a technical solution that allows fixing the supply system to the plants, to the columns or to the supports on which they are installed, by means of external screws or fixing means, also allowing the application to plants and columns, where it is impossible to access the internal compartment using conventional fixing tools.

Therefore, it is a specific object of the present invention a beverage dispensing system that can be installed on the wall of a support or column, said system comprising a dispensing tap of said beverage, a heat exchanger, arranged in contact with said dispensing tap, a dispensing unit, astride said wall of said support or column, said heat exchanger being disposed through said dispensing unit, said dispensing unit having adequate isolation means to isolate said exchanger of heat relative to said wall, and at least one conduit of said beverage to be dispensed passes through said heat exchanger and is in communication with said dispensing tap, and cooling means of said heat exchanger.

Always according to the invention, said dispensing unit could comprise a front fixing bushing arranged on the front face of said wall of said support or column, and said insulating means may comprise a rear fixing bushing arranged on the rear face of said wall of said support

or column, said rear bushing being made of a thermally insulating material, such as plastic or the like, coupled to said front bushing and adapted to insulate said heat exchanger from said wall.

Still in accordance with the invention, said insulating means could comprise an insulating element, made of a thermally insulating material, such as plastic or the like and adapted to insulate said heat exchanger from said wall.

Still in accordance with the invention, said heat exchanger could comprise an internally threaded cylindrical portion for coupling with said tap, and said insulating element could have a cylindrical shape and could be disposed outside said cylindrical portion.

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Advantageously according to the invention, said system could comprise fixing means adapted to fix said dispensing unit acting from the outer face of said wall of said support or column.

Always according to the invention, said front bushing could be provided with at least one hole, preferably two holes, said rear bushing being provided with at least one hole, preferably two holes, said heat exchanger being provided with at least one hole, preferably two holes, and said wall having a support or column having at least one hole, preferably two holes, and said fixing means comprising at least one screw, preferably two fixing screws, said fixing screws being suitable for insertion in the holes of said front bushing, said rear bushing, said heat exchanger and said wall of said support or column, for mutual fixing.

Still in accordance with the invention, said heat exchanger could comprise a through channel through which said conduit is arranged.

Furthermore, according to the invention said system could comprise a sealing gasket disposed within said heat exchanger, and a head for fixing said conduit to said heat exchanger, said head being disposed within said heat exchanger.

Advantageously, according to the invention, said cooling means could comprise a cooling duct in which a heat exchange fluid flows, such as water, another cooling fluid, gas and / or the like, which passes externally in contact with said heat exchanger.

Also said heat exchanger could have an external perimeter channel in which said cooling duct is housed.

Furthermore, said passage passage of the beverage to be dispensed and the cooling conduit could be arranged close to each other and submerged in an expanded foam jacket.

The present invention will be described below for illustrative and non-limiting reasons according to their preferred embodiments, with particular reference to the figures in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of a portion of a beverage dispensing column;

Figure 2 shows a front view of a portion of a beverage dispensing column;

Figure 3 shows a rear view of a portion of a beverage dispensing column;

Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the beverage dispensing system according to Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a side section of the beverage dispensing system according to Figure 1;

Figure 6 shows the inside of a second beverage dispensing column in which two systems for dispensing beverages according to the present invention are installed.

In the different figures, similar parts will be indicated with the same reference numbers.

Referring to Figures 1-5, it is possible to observe a system S for dispensing beverages according to the present invention.

The beverage dispensing system S comprises in particular a supply unit 1 installed on the wall 2 'of a column 2 or of a support, to which a valve 3 is attached (which is not part of the solution according to the invention). The beverage is dispensed from said tap 3, which is accessed through a conduit 4.

In particular, said column 2 has, in the wall 2 ’of metal foil, a hole 21 through which said dispensing unit 1 is installed, which is thus astride said wall 2’. Said column 2 also has two holes 22 ’and 22’ respectively arranged above and below said hole 21 for the passage of the fixing means (which will be described later) of the dispensing unit 1.

The dispensing unit 1 comprises a front fixing sleeve 11 preferably made of metal. Said front bush 11 is shaped to conform to the shape of the wall 2 ’of sheet metal of the column 2 or support, which can be flat or possibly curved. Said front bush 11 is provided with two holes 11 'and 11' corresponding to said holes 22 ', 22' 'of said wall 2'.

Said dispensing unit 1 also includes a rear internal fixing sleeve 12 formed to conform to the shape of the surface of the inner face of the wall 2 ′ of column 2 and also provided with two

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holes 12 ’and 12’ made so that they are arranged in correspondence with said holes 22 ’, 22’. Said rear sleeve 12 is made of a thermally insulating material, such as plastic or the like.

The dispensing unit 1 further provides an insulating element 14 that has a cylindrical shape and is made of a thermally insulating material, such as plastic or the like, that will be housed, when the unit 1 is mounted, inside said bushings 11 and 12.

Said system S further comprises a heat exchanger 5 provided with a through channel 51 through which said conduit 4 passes through which the beverage to be dispensed flows, and an external perimeter channel 52 substantially perpendicular to said through channel 51 in which a cooling pipe 6 is accommodated through which a heat exchange fluid flows, preferably a liquid such as cold water or another refrigerant or possibly a refrigerant gas.

In the anterior position, towards the outside of the dispensing system, said heat exchanger 5 has an internally threaded cylindrical portion 53 (the thread is not visible in the figure) to fix said tap 3, which, in this way, is in thermal contact with said heat exchanger 5. Said cylindrical portion 53 of said heat exchanger 5 is concentrically and internally disposed to said insulating element 14.

Said heat exchanger 5 also includes two holes 5 'and 5' 'such that, when said front bush 11 and said rear bush 12 are respectively coupled to the inner and outer walls of the metal sheet of said column 2, said holes 11' and 11 '' of said front bushing 11, said holes 12 'and 12' 'of said rear bushing 12, said two holes 22' and 22 '' of said column 2 and said two holes 5 'and 5' 'of said exchanger 5 of heat are arranged so that they allow suitable fixing means, which in this embodiment are fixing screws, which are designated respectively by reference numbers 13 'and 13' ', connect them to each other. It is appreciated that said screws can be tightened from the outside of said column 2 or support where said dispensing system S is installed to hold the unit of the dispensing unit 1 together, fixing it to column 2 in correspondence with the hole 21. Of this mode, it is possible to fix the system S by means of the two external screws 13 'and 13' ', allowing the installation of the system S itself also in the columns 2 where access to the internal part is not possible with tightening tools.

The dispensing system S also includes a sealing gasket 16 disposed within said through channel 51 of said heat exchanger 5, and a head 17 to block said conduit 4 for said heat exchanger 5. Said head 17 is also disposed within said through channel 51 of said heat exchanger 5.

Said duct 4 and said cooling duct 6 are also arranged close to each other and immersed in an expanded foam jacket 7.

The operation of the beverage dispensing system S described above is as follows.

When dispensed, said beverage, such as beer or the like, flows through said duct 4. The cooling duct 6 which, as mentioned, is arranged next to said duct 4 to perform a first temperature maintenance of said beverage while flowing through said conduit 4, said heat exchanger 5 cools. The exchanger 5, as it is made of a conductive material and is fixed in thermal contact with said tap 3, cools the latter. In this way, the beverage is maintained at a suitable temperature even during dispensing from said tap 3. In addition, the system S, by cooling the tap 3, prevents the heating of the beverage remaining therein during periods when it is not uses.

Furthermore, at the same time, the insulating means of the dispensing unit 1, that is, the insulating element 14, which covers and insulates said cylindrical portion 53 of said heat exchanger 5, and the rear sleeve 12, which is made, as mentioned, of an insulating material, they prevent condensation from forming and isolate the dispensing unit 1 of column 2.

Figure 6 shows the application of the beverage dispensing system S according to the present invention in a beverage dispensing plant 8 equipped with two faucets 3. In particular, it is observed how to each dispensing unit 1 which is coupled to a tap 3 a respective conduit 4 arrives. It can be seen, then, how the cooling tube 6 is housed in the perimeter channels 52 of the two heat exchangers 5 of each dispensing unit 1, cooling both simultaneously.

The present invention has been described for illustrative and non-limiting reasons in accordance with its preferred embodiments, but it should be understood that those skilled in the art may make modifications and / or changes without departing from the relevant scope defined by the appended claims.

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Claims (9)

1. System (S) for dispensing beverages that can be installed on the wall (2 ’) of a support or column (2), said system (S) comprising 5 a dispensing tap (3) of said beverage, a heat exchanger (5) disposed in contact with said dispensing tap (3), a dispensing unit (1), said dispensing unit (1) having means (12) , 14) insulation suitable for insulating said heat exchanger 5 in relation to said wall (2 ') and passing at least one conduit (4) of said beverage to be dispensed through said heat exchanger (5) and in communication with said faucet (3 ) of dispensing, and cooling means (6) of said heat exchanger (5), characterized in that said dispensing unit is arranged astride said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2), said arrangement being arranged heat exchanger (5) through said dispensing unit (1), 15 wherein said dispensing unit (1) comprises a front fixing bush (11) disposed on the front face of said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2), and whereby said insulating means comprise a rear fixing sleeve (12) disposed on the rear face of said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2), said rear sleeve (12) being made of a thermally insulating material, coupled to said front bushing (11) and adapted to isolate said exchanger 20 (5) heat of said wall (2 '). 2. System (S) according to claim 1, characterized in that said insulating means comprise an insulating element (14) made of a thermally insulating material and adapted to insulate said exchanger

(5)

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3. System (S) according to claim 2, characterized in that said heat exchanger (5) comprises an internally threaded cylindrical portion (53) to engage with said tap (3), and by which said insulating element (14) it has a cylindrical shape and is disposed outside said cylindrical portion (53).

System (S) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises fixing means (13 ', 13' ') adapted to fix said dispensing unit (1) acting from the external face of said wall ( 2 ') of said support or column (2).

5. System (S) according to claim 4, characterized 35 because said front bushing (11) is provided with at least one hole (11 ', 11' '), said rear bushing (12) is provided with at least one hole (12', 12 ''), said exchanger ( 5) Heat is provided with at least one hole, preferably two holes (5 ', 5' '), and said wall (2') of a support or column (2) has at least one hole (22 ', 22' '), Y wherein said fixing means comprises at least one screw, preferably two fixing screws (13 ', 13' '), said fixing screws (13', 13 '') being able to be inserted into the holes of said bushing (11) front, of said rear bushing (12), of said heat exchanger (5) and of said wall (2 ') of said support or column (2) for mutual fixation. System (S) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said heat exchanger (5) comprises a through channel (51) through which said conduit (4) is arranged. System (S) according to one of the preceding claims 3-6, characterized in that it comprises a sealing gasket (16) disposed within said exchanger (5) between said head (17) for fixing said conduit (4) to said heat exchanger (5) and said cylindrical portion (53), said head (17) being disposed within said heat exchanger (5). System (S) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cooling means comprise a cooling duct (6) through which a heat exchange fluid flows, which passes externally in contact with said exchanger ( 5) heat. 55

9.

System (S) according to claim 8, characterized in that said heat exchanger (5) has an external perimeter channel (52) in which said cooling duct (6) is housed.

10.

System (S) according to one of the preceding claims 7 or 8, characterized in that said conduit

60 (4) of the beverage to be dispensed and said cooling duct (6) are arranged near or adjacent to each other and immersed in an expanded foam jacket (6). 5