JP2002059996A - Beer server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a beer server which can support barrels of various sizes, which can cool beer and keep it cool to maintain freshness, and which is easy to control hygiene and suitable for household use. SOLUTION: An upper lid 9 in a cooling chamber 3 to be cooled to a required temperature by cooling means 7 and 8 is equipped with a communication hole 11 having a barrel outlet mouthpiece 2a of a beer barrel 2 received in the cooling chamber exposed from downward. A flexible seal 13 in a form of a cylinder with upper and lower parts opened wherein an upper rim is mounted on an inner peripheral rim of the communication hole and a lower rim can be reduced in diameter according to an outer periphery of a neck of the mouthpiece, and an ejector 12 to be directly connected with the mouthpiece of the beer barrel are provided. A mount 15 for mounting the beer barrel is provided on an internal bottom of the cooling chamber, wherein the mount is designed to be adjustable in height.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a kegged beer server suitable for home use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A server for beer in a keg is mainly used for business in restaurants and the like, and carbon dioxide gas is sent from a carbon dioxide gas cylinder into a keg, and the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas in the keg is changed. Beer to a dispenser (beer extraction device equipped with a beer cooling means and a dispenser), and the beer server is instantaneously cooled, ice-cooled, and barrel-refrigerated by the beer cooling means in the dispenser. It is classified into three types.

The instant cooling type includes an electric cooling device in a dispenser and a cooling water tank in which water is cooled by the cooling device. The beer is cooled by flowing beer through a cooling coil provided in the cooling water tank. It has a configuration.

[0004] Further, the ice-cooled type is provided with an ice storage tank in a dispenser, and beer is cooled by flowing beer through a cooling coil provided in the ice storage tank.

[0005] In both the instant cooling type and the ice-cooled type, beer is sent from a beer barrel placed outside the dispenser to a dispenser by a beer hose, and the beer is brought to a required temperature (about 5 ° C) at the time of pouring. Cooling.

[0006] In addition, the barrel refrigeration type includes a refrigerator in which a beer barrel is accommodated in a dispenser, cools the beer together with the barrel, and sends the beer cooled to a required temperature in the barrel to a spouter. Has become.

[0007] In the instant cooling type and the ice-cooling type, since the beer is stored at room temperature, there is a problem that the freshness of the beer left in the barrel is liable to be lowered, and the carbon dioxide gas for beer delivery is also reduced. The pressure must be adjusted to an appropriate value (for example, 0.25 MPa at 20 ° C. and 0.30 MPa at 25 ° C.) depending on the temperature of the beer in the barrel, but the beer temperature tends to fluctuate with room temperature. Therefore, there is also a problem that it is difficult to always keep the pressure of carbon dioxide gas properly.

[0008] Further, in the above-mentioned conventional ones, the beer hose and cooling coil for sending beer from the barrel to the dispenser of the dispenser must be cleaned every day, and there is a problem that sanitary management is difficult.

[0009] In particular, when the beer server is used for home use, it is difficult to consume the beer in the keg in a short time for home use, and daily washing is complicated. It is more serious than when used for business use.

For use at home or outdoors, a beer barrel cooled to a required temperature in advance is placed in a cooling bag, or a beer barrel is placed with ice in a barrel container, and the beer barrel is poured into a spout. There are beer servers of the type to which the beer is directly attached, but in each case, the beer temperature rises with the passage of time and the freshness of the beer cannot be maintained.

[0011] In addition, beer barrels have various sizes depending on the maker and capacity, and there is also a problem that a cold storage bag or a container for storing the barrels must use a dedicated one matching the dimensions of the barrels.

[0012]

[Purpose] The object of the present invention is to be able to accommodate barrels of various sizes, to be able to cool and cool beer, to maintain freshness, to easily maintain sanitation, and to be suitable for household use. In providing a beer server.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a beer server according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided on a top lid of a cooling room cooled to a required temperature by cooling means,
It has a communication hole facing the base, which is a spout of a beer barrel accommodated in the cooling chamber, from below, and an upper edge is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the communication hole, and the lower edge is aligned with the neck outer periphery of the base. A flexible seal body having a cylindrical shape with upper and lower openings that can be reduced in diameter, and a pouring device that is directly connected to a base of a beer barrel, and a base for placing a beer barrel on an inner bottom of the cooling chamber. The gantry has a height-adjustable configuration.

The beer server according to a second aspect of the present invention is arranged such that a base, which is a spout of a beer barrel accommodated in the cooling chamber, is placed from below on an upper lid of the cooling chamber cooled to a required temperature by the cooling means. A flexible sealing body having a vertically communicating opening having an upper edge attached to an inner peripheral edge of the communicating hole, and a lower edge having a diameter reduced in accordance with the outer periphery of the neck of the base. And a pouring device directly connected to a base of a beer barrel, and a base for mounting a beer barrel on an inner bottom of the cooling chamber, the base having an internal thread formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof. A cylindrical base having an opening, and a male and female lift screwed into the female thread of the base are formed with a cylindrical lift platform having a cover formed on the outer peripheral surface. Is adjusted.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the beer server according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to specific examples shown in the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an air-cooled beer server. In a casing 1 having an open top, a cooling room 3 for accommodating a beer barrel 2 and a refrigerator room 4 are partitioned by a partition 5 made of heat insulating material. The chamber 4 is provided with a refrigerator unit 6 having a compressor and a condenser.

Above the refrigerator room 4, there are provided a cooler 7 and a blower 8 to which a refrigerant is supplied from a refrigerator unit 6,
The cooling unit 3 is configured to circulate cool air in the cooling chamber 3 to cool to a required temperature, and the refrigerator unit 6, the cooler 7, and the blower 8 constitute a cooling device.

The upper part of the opening of the cooling chamber 3 is closed by an upper lid 9, and the upper lid 9 has an edge plate 9a which hangs downward from the outer peripheral edge.
Are attached to the side plate of the casing 1 with screws 10, and the upper lid can be removed by removing the screws 10.

The upper lid 9 is provided with a hole 11 for communicating between the cooling chamber and the outside. The base 2a of the beer barrel 2 faces the hole 11 from below, and the lower part of the pouring device 12 passes from above the hole. It is designed to be attached to the base 2a.

An inner peripheral edge of the hole 11 is made of a flexible non-permeable material, and an upper edge of a cylindrical seal body 13 which is opened up and down is attached by, for example, an adhesive.
The gap between the inner periphery of the hole 11 and the mouthpiece 2a of the beer barrel 2 can be closed by the seal body 13, and the lower edge of the opening of the seal body 13 is reduced according to the outer diameter of the neck of the mouthpiece 2a. It is a structure that can be diameter.

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the sealing body 13 is made of a non-breathable waterproof cloth, and a rubber ring 13a is provided on the lower edge of the opening.
Although the diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of “a”, it has a flexibility such that the diameter can be sufficiently expanded when attached to and detached from the base.

Reference numeral 13b in the figure denotes a knob string having one end attached to the lower edge of the opening of the seal.
By pulling the handle 13b upward to expand the diameter of the rubber ring 13a when removing from the base 2a, the seal body can be easily removed from the base.

The seal body 13 may have any structure as long as the lower edge portion can be brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the neck portion of the base 2a to close the gap between the hole 11 and the base 2a. Alternatively, the entire seal body 13 may be made of a thin rubber material having sufficient elasticity.

The dispenser 12 is for dispensing beer from the nozzle 12b by operating a lever 12a. In the present embodiment, a small carbon dioxide gas cartridge 14 is attached to the dispenser. The carbon dioxide gas is supplied from the carbon dioxide cartridge into the beer barrel, and the beer in the barrel is pressure-fed to the nozzle 12b of the dispenser by the gas pressure. The supply pressure of the carbon dioxide gas is attached to the cartridge 14. By operating the pressure adjusting knob 14a, the pressure can be adjusted appropriately. In addition,
Since there are various types of internal structures of the dispenser 12, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A stand 15 on which the beer barrel 2 is placed is provided in the inner bottom of the cooling chamber 3. By adjusting the height of the stand 15, the base 2 a of the beer barrel 2 is moved to the upper lid 9. It can be made to face directly below the hole 11.

The gantry 15 includes, for example, a cylindrical base 16 having an open top and bottom as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and a lifted pedestal 17 having a closed cylindrical shape, and a female screw 16 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base 16. A male screw 17a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lift 17 is configured to be screwed therein.
The vertical position of the elevator, that is, the height of the pedestal, can be adjusted as required by inserting a finger into the hole 17c opened in b and rotating the elevator forward and backward. A rubber plate 1 for non-slip is provided on the top surface of the lift 17.
8, 18 are stuck so that the beer barrel 2 can be stably placed.

In the beer server of the present invention configured as described above, the screw 10 is removed, the upper cover 9 is removed, and the height of the gantry is adjusted by turning the elevating pedestal 17 of the gantry 15. At this time, the height of the gantry is such that when the beer barrel 2 is placed on the gantry, the upper edge of the handle portion 2b of the beer barrel is at the same level as or slightly lower than the upper edge of the cooling chamber.

Next, the beer barrel 2 is placed on the gantry 15, the mouthpiece 2a is positioned so as to be directly below the hole 11 of the upper lid, and the upper lid 9 is put on the casing.
The lower edge of the opening is widened and fitted to the neck of the mouthpiece 2a.

The base 2a may have a non-circular shape such as an approximately hexagonal shape having a rounded apex, instead of a circular cross-sectional shape of the neck portion. Since it can be contracted according to the shape, it is possible to prevent a gap from being formed around the base, and to prevent the cool air in the cooling chamber from leaking from the gap.

Then, the spout 12 is connected to the base 2a,
By operating the cooling device, the inside of the cooling chamber 3 is cooled, and
Cool to the required temperature and keep it cool. The outlet of the beer barrel 2 has a structure in which the valve inside the barrel is automatically closed when the pouring device is removed, and this valve is opened by attaching the pouring device. Therefore,
The pouring device 12 may be detached when the barrel is cooled or kept cool, and the pouring device may be attached when pouring beer.

Although the beer server of the above-described embodiment is of an air-cooled type, it may be of a water-cooled type as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 21 is provided at the lower part of the casing 21 and the cooling chamber 23 is provided at the upper part, and the refrigerant is supplied from the refrigerator unit 6 in the refrigerator room 22 to the inner periphery of the side wall of the cooling chamber. A cooling coil 24 is provided, and the inner surface of the cooling coil 24 is covered with a panel 25 such as a stainless steel plate.

The cooling chamber 23 is a water tank for storing cooling water 26. One end of a drain pipe 27 for discharging the cooling water in the cooling chamber is connected to the lower surface of the cooling chamber, and faces the outside of the casing. A cap 27a is detachably attached to the other end of the drain pipe. Note that, also in the beer server of this embodiment, the configurations of the top cover 9, the gantry 15, and the pouring device 12 are the same as those of the above-described air-cooled type.

In each of the above-described embodiments, when the beer barrel 2 is not accommodated in the cooling chamber, the cool air in the cooling chamber leaks from the hole 11 of the upper lid 9. It is possible to cool and cool by storing other foods such as canned beer and beverages in plastic bottles by providing an appropriate lid such as a type or a slide type so that cold air does not leak even if it does not store beer barrels There are times when you do.

[0034]

Operation and effect of the present invention The beer server according to the present invention can exhibit the following operation and effect by the above-described configuration.

Since the beer is provided with a cooling chamber for accommodating the barrel and cooling and keeping it cool, the beer can be cooled and kept at a required temperature, and even if the beer remains in the barrel, it can be stored at a low temperature. And freshness can be maintained for a long time (for example, about one week). Therefore, the beer in the barrel can be enjoyed at home without taking care of the remaining drink.

In the cooling chamber, there is provided a base on which a beer barrel is placed, and the height of the base can be adjusted according to the size of the keg, and a gap between the top lid and the base of the keg is sealed. , It can be applied to various types of beer barrels having different manufacturers, capacities, or cap shapes, and can satisfy a demand for a home beer server that wants to drink various beers.

Furthermore, since the dispenser is configured to be directly connected to the base, there is no need to clean a long hose for sending beer from the keg to the dispenser as in a conventional beer server. It is only necessary to wash the dispenser in whole, and sanitary management can be easily performed.

In addition, in the case of bottled or canned beer that has been conventionally consumed at home, processing of empty bottles and empty cans after drinking is complicated. There is a problem that garbage is apt to enter inside, which is often kept open, and it is difficult to wash when reused. Further, the bottle is quite heavy, so that it is not easy to transport at the time of collection.

However, since the mouth of a beer barrel is usually closed, even if the beer barrel is left as it is after drinking, it is unlikely that any garbage will enter the interior, and it is easy to clean when reused. The barrel weighs, for example, about 3.5 to 4 kg even for a barrel containing 10 liters, so that it can be easily collected and transported after drinking.

Therefore, according to the beer server of the present invention, beer in a keg can be used at home, so that there is a great merit in terms of collecting and reusing containers.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing an embodiment of a beer server according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the beer server according to the present invention, excluding a dispenser and an upper lid.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional front view showing a main part of an upper lid.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a gantry.

FIG. 5 is a vertical front view of the gantry.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing another embodiment of the beer server according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Casing 2 Beer barrel 3 Cooling room 4 Refrigerator room 5 Partition 6 Refrigerator unit 7 Cooler 8 Blower 9 Top cover 10 Screw 11 Top cover hole 12 Discharger 13 Seal body 14 Carbon dioxide cartridge 15 Base 16 Base base 17 Elevation Table 18 Rubber plate 21 Casing 22 Refrigerator room 23 Cooling room 24 Cooling coil 25 Interior panel 26 Cooling water 27 Drain pipe

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A communication hole for allowing a mouthpiece, which is a spout of a beer barrel accommodated in a cooling chamber, to be viewed from below in an upper lid of a cooling chamber cooled to a required temperature by cooling means. An upper edge is attached to the peripheral edge, and a lower edge is formed in a cylindrical shape having an upper and lower opening whose diameter can be reduced in accordance with the outer periphery of the neck of the base, and has a flexible sealing body, and is directly connected to the base of the beer barrel. A beer server comprising a dispenser, a stand on which a beer barrel is placed on the inner bottom of the cooling chamber, and the stand having a height-adjustable structure. 2. A cooling chamber, which is cooled to a required temperature by a cooling means, has a communication hole on a top cover of a cooling chamber, which is a spout of a beer barrel accommodated in the cooling chamber, and has a communication hole from below. An upper edge is attached to the peripheral edge, and a lower edge is formed in a cylindrical shape having an upper and lower opening whose diameter can be reduced in accordance with the outer periphery of the neck of the base, and has a flexible sealing body, and is directly connected to the base of the beer barrel. A base for placing a beer barrel on the inner bottom of the cooling chamber, the base having a cylindrical base having an upper opening with an internal thread formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, and an internal thread of the base. A beer server in which the height of the gantry is adjusted by rotating the elevating table in the forward and reverse directions.