GB2279330A - Liquid dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid dispensing apparatus to allow continuous dispensing of beer comprises two beer kegs or reservoirs 10A, 10B connected to a source of compressed gas, each keg having a connection 12A, 12B with a beer line leading to detecting means 14A, 14B incorporating float valves 17A, 17B which act to shut off the line when gas is detected for instance when a keg becomes empty. Upstream of these detecting means 14A, 14B is a switching means 16 which acts to switch the connection between a first keg and the main beer line to the second keg in response to the partial vacuum produced when the float valve of the first keg shuts off the line in response to the emptying of the keg. Priming valves 15A, 15B are provided to remove gas from the system when a new keg is fitted. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVED LIOUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Field of the Invention The invention relates to apparatus for dispensing liquid from one of a number of inter-connected reservoirs, and is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to the dispensing of beer or other beverages.

Background to the Invention As is well known, there is often a need to be able to dispense more of a liquid than can be supplied in a single container. One such situation occurs in the retailing of beverages in clubs and pubs. Beer for example, is generally delivered in nine, eleven, or twenty two gallon kegs, but a busy retail outlet can easily dispense more than twenty two gallons of a single type of beer between opening and closing time. Once a keg is empty, the retailer must go to the cellar and change the empty keg for a full one and then purge air or gas from the system through the dispenser at the bar. This purging process is wasteful in both beer and gas because considerable quantities of beverage have to be drawn off before the beer is in a satisfactory state to be served to customers.

As a consequence dispensing systems have been developed which enable several kegs to be connected to one dispenser and in some cases these provide for an automatic change-over system. By and large, their aim is to enable a busy retail outlet to carry on uninterrupted trade between opening and closing time.

These systems still suffer from the drawback that whenever a new keg is attached to the line, the system has to be purged of air/gas through the beverage dispenser with the attendant waste previously described.

Summarv of the Invention The present invention specifically addresses the above need. According to a first aspect of the present invention, in its broadest sense, there is provided an improved liquid dispensing apparatus comprising: (a) two or more liquid reservoirs to hold a quantity of the liquid to be dispensed; (b) an inlet for the supply of compressed gas to each reservoir; (c) a dispenser formed to dispense said liquid and connected to each said reservoir by a pipework system; (d) a detecting means adapted to detect the presence of air or gas in the liquid, said detecting means being disposed in the pipework system between at least one of said liquid reservoirs and the nozzle, and incorporating a valve adapted to cut off the flow of liquid when the presence of air/gas is detected;; (e) a switching means responsive to said detecting means, said switching means being adapted to place the dispenser in flow communication with only one of the reservoirs and being further adapted to switch the flow communication from an empty one of said reservoirs to a full one of said reservoirs in response to the detection means detecting a depletion in one of the reservoirs; (f) priming means, said priming means being disposed between said detecting means and said switching means and being adapted to expel from the apparatus in use any gas or air and thus enable the detecting means to be refilled with liquid; the apparatus thereby being adapted so that in use it is unnecessary to purge the pipework system through the dispenser.

Advantageously the liquid in the improved liquid dispensing system may be withdrawn from the reservoir using a pumping means instead of forcing the liquid out of the reservoir using compressed gas.

Where a compressed gas is used to dispense the liquid the preferred gas is carbon dioxide.

Preferably the reservoirs may be stacked, one on top of each other, using a supporting means, which supporting means is adapted to fit around the top of one reservoir and form a platform to accommodate a second reservoir and which supporting means incorporates a clamping means such that, in use, the two containers are firmly held together as a single unit.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of dispensing a beverage comprising the following steps: storing a quantity of beverage in said one or more reservoirs; providing an apparatus as described above; priming the apparatus initially through the dispenser; dispensing liquid through the dispenser until such time as one reservoir is substantially empty, whereupon the detecting means detects the presence of air/gas in the system, the flow from the reservoir is cut off and the switching means automatically places the dispenser in flow communication with another said reservoir.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein; Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an improved liquid dispensing apparatus embodying the invention; and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of two kegs retained in a supporting means embodying the second aspect of this invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment The embodiment shown in Figure 1 represents currently the best way known to the applicant of putting into practice the invention and illustrates diagrammatically a liquid dispensing system.

It comprises two reservoirs 10A and 10B containing the liquid to be dispensed. These reservoirs are provided with gas inlet connections 11A and 11B, which connections are supplied with compressed gas from a common source, such that the gas pressure applied to each reservoir is substantially the same. When dispensing beverages the most usual gas to employ is carbon dioxide but any compressed gas, such as nitrogen or compressed air, can be used although it is preferred that the gas is non-flammable.

The reservoirs 10A and 10B are also provided with outlet connections 12A and 12B whereby the liquid within each reservoir can enter a main supply line 13. In the case of beer kegs, these combined gas inlet/beer outlet fittings are known as GRUNDY FITllNGS TM.

Means 14A and 14B of detecting air or gas in the supply line 13 are provided.

These are usually termed "fob detectors" or CELLAR BOYS TM. Basically, these act as shut-off valves and contain a floating ball 17A and 17B in a glass chamber. In Figure 1, 14A is shown connected to an empty reservoir and 14B is shown with liquid passing through it and into the supply line 13.

Priming valves 15A and 15B are fitted into the supply line on the dispenser side of the fob detectors 14A and 14B. These priming valves enable the supply line between the GRUNDY FJTFflNGS 11 and the priming valves 15 to be refilled with liquid. They are positioned close to the reservoirs 10 in order to minimise the waste of liquid and gas during the purging operation.

The supply lines from the two reservoirs 10A and 10B meet at a switch 16.

The switch operates as soon as one of the reservoirs is empty. Once the chamber one of the fob detectors 14A is empty, the floating ball 17A drops down to cover a hole and thus shut off the chamber. This creates a partial vacuum at the switch 16 which automatically changes over to establish a flow connection to the other reservoir 10B.

It will therefore be appreciated that to operate such a system, the operator merely has to disconnect the GRUNDY FITTING from an empty reservoir, replace it with a full one, and prime a short length of supply line.

Trials have established that this results in a considerable saving in both liquid and gas.

The effectiveness of this system can be further enhanced by stacking the reservoirs one on top of each other. It will be appreciated that in the case of beer kegs, these are designed with the intention of being stacked. However, if the kegs are damaged/distorted due to mishandling or the like, or the kegs are of a different design, being for example from two different suppliers, then the kegs can no longer be stacked safely.

This invention provides a cheap, simple, effective method of achieving safe stacking as shown in Figure 2. A collar 20 is placed over the lower most in use keg 22 and the collar 20 incorporates a platform 21 which can support an uppermost in use keg 23. If required, the collar 20 can be adapted to clamp tightly around both kegs. The type and construction of such a clamp or clamping mechanism (not shown) can be decided by the intended skilled addressee of this specification.

Claims (7)

1. An improved liquid dispensing apparatus comprising: (a) two or more liquid reservoirs adapted to hold a quantity of the liquid to be dispensed; (b) an inlet for the supply of compressed gas to each reservoir; (c) a dispenser formed to dispense said liquid and connected to the said reservoir by a pipework system; (d) a detecting means adapted to detect the presence of air or gas in the liquid, said detecting means being disposed in the pipework system between one of said liquid reservoirs and the nozzle, and incorporating a valve adapted to cut off the flow of liquid when the presence of air/gas is detected;; (e) a switching means responsive to said detecting means, said switching means being adapted to place the dispenser in flow communication with only one of the said reservoirs and being further adapted to switch the flow communication from an empty reservoir to a full reservoir in response to the detection means showing a depletion in one of the reservoirs; (f) priming means, said priming means being disposed between said detecting means and said switching means and being adapted to expunge from the apparatus in use any gas or air and thus enable the detecting means to be refilled with liquid; the apparatus being adapted so that in use it is unnecessary to purge the pipework system through the dispenser.

2. An improved liquid dispensing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the liquid is withdrawn from the reservoir using a pumping means instead of being forced our of the reservoir by compressed gas.

3. An improved liquid dispensing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the compressed gas is carbon dioxide.

4. An improved liquid dispensing apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the reservoirs may be stacked one of top of each other using a supporting means, said supporting means being adapted to fit around the top of one reservoir and to form a platform in order to accommodate a second reservoir directly on top of the first reservoir and which supporting means incorporates 9 clamping means such that, in use, the two reservoirs are firmly held together as a single unit.

5. An improved liquid dispensing apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of dispensing a beverage comprising the following steps: storing a quantity of beverage in one or more reservoirs; providing an apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5; initially priming the system through the dispenser; dispensing liquid through the dispenser until such time as one reservoir is empty, whereupon the detecting means detects the presence of air/gas in the system, the flow from that reservoir is cut off by the valve associated with the detecting means, and the switching means automatically places the dispenser in flow communication with another reservoir.

7. A method of dispensing a beverage as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.