JP3524636B2 - Beer dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beer dispenser installed in restaurants such as restaurants and bars.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Beer dispensers, which dispense beer from a beer storage tank in small amounts by operating a dispensing cock, are widely used. As the pouring method, a gas pressure method is used in which the pressure of carbon dioxide is applied to the beer in the tank and the beer is forcibly pumped to the cock by the operation of the pouring cock. A beer dispenser that dispenses beer from a cock with gas pressure is a beer storage tank, a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for beer pressure-feeding, and a cooling mechanism for cooling beer that passes through a beer conduit leading to the dispense cock (depending on the model, It is basically replaced with a cooling mechanism for storing the beer storage tank in a cooled state). Further, the dispenser stores the above-mentioned members inside a counter or a table in a store, and starts up a draft (liquid distribution stopper) in which a pouring cock and a column are integrated from the counter or the table. .

[0003]

In the beer dispenser described above, the beer storage tank is opened from the pouring cock when the pouring cock is opened in response to the customer's request and the beer is poured and then the cock is closed. The beer conduit leading to is filled with beer. In this case, in the beer dispenser configured to cool the beer by arranging the cooling mechanism in the beer conduit along the piping path of the beer conduit, the downstream side of the cooling mechanism (the pouring cock side)
The beer contained in the beer pipe is not cooled and the temperature rises with the passage of time. That is, if the beer interval is short, cold beer can always be served to the customer, but if the beer interval is long, the beer in the beer conduit becomes warm while waiting for the beer. However, there was a problem that the beer that was first poured out after the restart was not suitable for a drink.

Therefore, when the pouring interval is a certain amount, the required amount of beer poured first is discarded so that cold beer is always provided. However, in this case, it is pointed out that beer must be discarded every time the pouring interval becomes long, the amount of beer wasted wastefully increases, and running costs increase.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks inherent in the above-mentioned prior art, and is proposed in order to suitably solve this problem. By cooling beer immediately before the spout,
An object of the present invention is to provide a beer dispenser capable of always pouring beer having a constant temperature.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the present invention provides a beer storage tank (18).
In a beer dispenser that dispenses the beer in the dispenser by gas pressure from a dispenser cock (24), the dispenser cock is arranged in the upper part of the column, and one end of a beer hose piped inside the column is the beer. While being connected to a storage tank and the other end thereof to be connected to the pouring cock, a cooling medium is present inside the column to cool the beer in the beer hose, and the outside of the lower part of the column is connected.
Side, a dew receiving part that receives the dew generated on the outer surface of the column
It is characterized by being provided .

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The beer dispenser according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to preferred embodiments.

[0008]

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of a beer dispenser according to the present invention, in which reference numeral 10 denotes a counter installed in a restaurant such as a bar, The back side (right side in FIG. 1) of the counter 10 as seen from the passenger seats is a kitchen. A table 12 is installed adjacent to the counter 10 in the kitchen, and the table 12 is provided with a sink (not shown) as an example, so that the table 12 also functions as a cooking table. The counter 10 is provided with a draft 14 for beer pouring upright, and the draft 14 is a beer via a flexible conduit 16 and a cooling mechanism (not shown) constituting a beer supply path. It is connected to the storage tank 18. The beer is cooled to a temperature suitable for drinking when it is poured out by a cooling mechanism housed inside the table. In the example of FIG. 1, below the table 12, a beer storage tank 18 and a carbon dioxide gas cylinder for beer pressure-feeding are provided.
(Not shown) is stored. Also, at the counter 10,
A drip tray 20 is provided for receiving the beer dripping from the draft 14 after the pouring operation.

The draft 14 comprises a column 22 and a pouring cock 24. The column 22 has a cylindrical body 26 of a required length, as shown in FIGS.
The support plates 28 and 30 are watertightly fitted to the upper and lower ends of the upper and lower parts via packings 31 and 31, respectively. Further, the upper and lower support plates 28, 30 are a plurality of screws fixed at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction on the outer side of the arrangement position of the tubular body 26.
Positioning and fixing are performed by (32 in the embodiment) columns 32. The tubular body 26 is transparently made of glass, acrylic resin or the like, and is configured so that beer passing through a beer hose 34, which will be described later, piped inside the tubular body 26 can be visually recognized from the outside. The pouring cock 24 is disposed and fixed on the upper surface of the upper support plate 28 via the first bracket 36 and the second bracket 38, and the base portion 24a and the base portion 24a that face the upper center of the upper support plate 28 of the cock 24 are provided. The first bracket 36 supporting the is covered with a cover 40 (see FIG. 4). The material of the cylindrical body 26 may not be transparent such as the glass or acrylic resin, but may be an opaque metallic material such as stainless steel. Further, the shape of the tubular body 26 is not limited to the cylinder as in the embodiment, and it is possible to employ a polygonal rectangular tube or a curved surface shape.

Through holes 28a and 30a are formed in the centers of the upper and lower support plates 28 and 30, and a transparent beer hose 34 is inserted into both through holes 28a and 30a, and fasteners 42 and O are formed.
It is watertightly fixed via a ring 44. As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible conduit 16 is communicatively connected to the lower end of the beer hose 34 extending downward from the lower support plate 30, and extends upward from the upper support plate 28 of the hose 34. The upper end is connected to the base portion 24a of the pouring cock 24 so as to communicate therewith. That is, the beer storage tank 1
The beer pumped from 8 via the flexible conduit 16 reaches the pouring cock 24 through the transparent beer hose 34, so that the beer in the beer hose 34 is transparent in the draft 14. It can be seen from the outside through the transparent cylinder 26. Therefore, when the beer is dispensed from the draft 14, the spout 24 of the spout cock 24 from the audience seats.
It is possible to see the beer when it is poured from b and the beer that passes through the draft 14, and a high display effect can be expected.

As shown in FIG. 5, an annular drain groove 46 as a dew receiving portion is formed on the lower support plate 30 between the positions where the cylindrical body 26 and the three columns 32 are arranged. Cylinder 26
The dew condensed on the outer surface of the water is collected and discharged to the outside through a drain port 46a formed at a required position of the drain groove 46. Draft 1 on counter 10
When arranging 4, the beer hose 3 is positioned by positioning between two adjacent columns 32, 32 so as to face the passenger seat.
It is recommended that the struts 32 be unobtrusive to see the beer in 4.

On the lower support plate 30, as shown in FIG.
Cold water inlets 4 on both sides of the beer hose through hole 30a
8 and an outlet 50 are bored, and both openings 48, 50 are pipes 52, 5
4 is connected to the cooling supply device 56. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling supply device 56 is provided with the table 1
The cold water tank 60 is mounted on a base plate 58 that is arranged so as to be able to be drawn out inside the container 2, and a circulation pump 62 connected to the cold water tank 60. A slat board 63 is arranged inside the cold water tank 60, and water is stored above the slat board 63, and the lump of ice produced at another place is stored in the upper portion of the slat board 63 so as to come into contact with the lump of ice. It is designed to cool water. Further, the suction pipe 61 connected to the cold water tank 60 is connected to the suction port of the circulation pump 62 below the position where the drainboard 63 is disposed, and
A discharge pipe 52 connected to the discharge port of the pump 62 is connected to the inlet 48 of the lower support plate 30. That is, by operating the circulation pump 62, the cold water cooled by the cooling supply device 56 is supplied to the inside of the cylinder 26 through the inlet 48, and the beer in the beer hose 34 is cooled. There is. The outlet 50 of the lower support plate 30
Is connected to the cold water tank 60 via the return pipe 54, and the cold water supplied to the inside of the tubular body 26 is returned to the tank 60.

Here, in order to supply the cold water to the inside of the sealed cylinder 26, it is necessary to discharge the air inside the cylinder 26. Therefore, in the embodiment, the upper support plate 28 is evacuated. An air valve 64 is provided as the. Therefore, when the cold water is supplied to the inside of the cylinder 26, the cold water is supplied to the cylinder by keeping the air valve 64 open. By adjusting the opening / closing of the air valve 64, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the water level of the cold water supplied and stored inside the tubular body 26. Also the cylinder 2
The cold water supplied to the outlet 6 and the return pipe 5 are
The cold water is returned to the cold water tank 60 via 4 and is adjusted by a flow control valve 69 inserted in the return pipe 54 so that a fixed amount of cold water is stored in the tubular body 26. ing. Further, when cold water is circulated and supplied to the cylindrical body 26, water stains and the like adhere to the inner surface of the cylindrical body 26 over time, so that periodic cleaning is required. In this case, the air valve 6
By opening 4 to communicate the internal space of the cylinder 26 with the outside air, the cold water stored in the cylinder 26 can be quickly discharged.

A lid 65 is provided on the upper portion of the cold water tank 60 so as to be openable and closable, and the return pipe 54 is attached to the lid 65. The cold water tank 60 has a heat insulating structure,
It is designed to prevent heat from entering from the outside. An overflow pipe 66 is connected to the cold water tank 60 so as to prevent the water level in the tank from exceeding a certain level due to melting of ice blocks. Further, in FIG.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a drainage pipe connected to the cold water tank 60, and the water in the tank 60 can be drained by opening a valve 68 inserted in the drainage pipe 67.

[0015]

[Operation of First Embodiment] Next, the operation of the beer dispenser according to the first embodiment will be described below. In the cooling / supplying device 56, the water stored in the cold water tank 60 comes into contact with the ice blocks stored in the upper part of the drainboard 63 and is cooled to a required temperature. This cold water is supplied to the inside of the cylindrical body 26 through the inlet 48 by operating the circulation pump 62. At this time, by opening the air valve 64 arranged on the upper support plate 28 to discharge the air in the cylinder body, the cold water is gradually stored in the cylinder body 26. Then, by closing the air valve 64 when the required water level is reached, the cold water level in the tubular body 26 is set. Further, the cold water supplied to the tubular body 26 is returned to the cold water tank 60 via the outlet 50 and the return pipe 54, and is provided for recirculation. In addition, the return pipe 54 is provided with the lid 65 disposed above the cold water tank 60.
The cold water flowing out of the return pipe 54 comes into contact with the ice blocks stored in the upper portion of the drainboard 63 to be cooled (see FIG. 1).

The beer gas-fed from the beer storage tank 18 is poured out through a beer hose 34 piped inside the transparent cylindrical body 26 while being cooled to a required temperature by the cooling mechanism. It has reached the cock 24. Then, the spout 24 is operated to operate the spout 24b.
By opening the beer, beer is poured out from the pouring outlet 24b. As described above, since the cylindrical body 26 of the draft 14 and the beer hose 34 are both transparent, the beer poured into the jug or glass from the spout 24b can be seen from the passenger seat, and the beer passing through the beer hose 34 can be seen. Can also see. As a result, it is possible to enhance the display effect and achieve differentiation for attracting customers.

After the beer is poured out according to the customer's request, the beer contained in the beer hose 34 until the next pouring is made by the cold water supplied and stored in the inside of the cylindrical body 26. To be cooled. That is, even when the beer pouring interval becomes long, the beer is cooled immediately before the pouring outlet 24b, so that cold beer can always be poured from the pouring cock 24. In addition, the cylinder 26
By circulating and supplying cold water to the inside of the cylinder, dew is attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical body 26, which has an effect of giving a cool feeling. The dew generated on the outer surface of the cylindrical body 26 is not collected in the drainage groove 46 of the lower support plate 30 and does not wet the counter 10.

If the beer hose 34 and the pouring cock 24 are made of a metal having a good thermal conductivity such as copper, aluminum or stainless steel, the cold water supplied to the inside of the cylindrical body 26 causes Can be cooled efficiently, and the beer remaining inside the pouring cock 24 can be cooled jointly. That is,
It is possible to suppress the temperature rise of beer in the pouring cock 24 exposed to the outside air.

[0019]

[Other Embodiments] FIGS. 6 to 8 show another embodiment of the beer dispenser according to the present invention. Since the basic structure thereof is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, the first embodiment will be described. Only parts different from the embodiment will be described.

[0020]

[Second Embodiment] In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a partition plate 80 for radially partitioning the internal space is provided inside the cylindrical body 26 in the draft 14, and the partition plate 80 allows the first space to be separated. 81 and the second space 82 are defined. That is, the partition plate 80 includes a pair of cylindrical portions 83, 83 that are vertically separated from each other.
And a pair of partition portions 84, 84 disposed outside the both tubular portions 83, 83 and extending in the radial direction.
The partition plate 80 is arranged in the cylindrical body 26 in a state where the beer hose 34 is inserted into the 3,83. As shown in FIG. 7, the diameter of the part where the partition parts 84, 84 of the partition plate 80 are formed is set to be substantially the same as the inner diameter of the tubular body 26.
The inner space is divided into two in the radial direction to define a first space 81 and a second space 82. The partition plate 80
Is set shorter than the height of the tubular body 26, and is set so that the first space 81 and the second space 82 defined by the partition plate 80 communicate with each other above the inside of the tubular body 26. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 7, the partition plate 80 is positioned so that the inlet 48 formed in the lower support plate 30 faces the first space 81 and the outlet 50 faces the second space 82. That is, the cold water supplied from the cooling supply device 56 first flows into the first space 81 via the inlet 48, flows from the lower space to the upper space, and then flows into the second space 82. And this cold water is the second space 8
After flowing through 2 from the upper side to the lower side, it is circulated back to the cooling supply device 56 via the outlet 50. As a result, a so-called short cycle in which the cold water that has entered the inside of the cylindrical body 26 from the inlet 48 is immediately discharged from the outlet 50 is prevented, and efficient cooling of beer with cold water can be achieved.

[0022]

[Third Embodiment] In a third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a cooling and supplying device which constitutes a dispenser is integrated with a sink. That is, the cold water tank 6 of the cooling supply device 56 is attached to the sink 72 arranged on the table 12.
0 is integrally arranged, and a sink 72 is provided in the tank 60.
Water can be directly supplied from a faucet (not shown) attached to the. Therefore, the piping system for supplying water to the cold water tank 60 from another place can be omitted. It is also possible to discharge the water in the cold water tank 60 by using the drainage system provided in the sink 72.

In each of the embodiments described above, the case where the ice bank type for cooling the water brought into contact with the ice blocks is adopted as the cooling water cooling and supplying device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to employ a chiller or the like having a configuration in which water is circulated through a heat exchange tube cooled by a cooling mechanism to cool the water. Further, the cooling medium supplied to the inner space of the cylindrical body in the column is not limited to cold water, and beer can be cooled by circulating and supplying cold air or directly putting ice blocks. Further, instead of disposing the air valve, an air hole communicating between the inside and the outside of the cylinder is bored in the upper support plate, and the circulation pump and the flow rate control valve are controlled so that the required amount is constantly maintained in the cylinder. It is also possible to store cold water. Furthermore, since the Komura cylinder and beer hose do not need to be transparent, it is recommended to increase the heat exchange efficiency by forming a material having good heat conductivity such as stainless steel as described above.

[0024]

As described above, according to the beer dispenser of the present invention, the cooling medium is present inside the column to cool the beer in the beer hose arranged inside the column. You can That is, since the beer just before being poured from the pouring cock can be cooled, cold beer having a constant temperature can always be provided. Further, the presence of the cooling medium inside the column has an advantage that dew is generated on the outer surface of the column, which gives a cool feeling to the customer and improves the display effect. The dew generated on the outer surface of the column can be collected by the dew receiving portion provided outside the lower portion of the column, so that the dew can be prevented from wetting the surroundings.

Further, by arranging a partition plate inside the column and circulating the cooling medium throughout the inside of the column,
Beer can be cooled efficiently, and the effect of improving energy efficiency is exhibited.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a beer dispenser according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a draft of the beer dispenser according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a draft according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing a partially broken state of the draft according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view of a draft according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a draft of a beer dispenser according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing a draft of a beer dispenser according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a beer dispenser according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

18 beer storage tank, 22 column, 24 pouring cock, 34 beer hose, 46 drainage gutter, 48 inlet, 5
0 outlet, 56 cooling supply device, 72 sink, 80 partition plate, 81 first space, 82 second space

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B67D 1/00 B67D 3/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A beer dispenser for dispensing beer in a beer storage tank (18) by gas pressure from a dispensing cock (24) into a dispenser, wherein the dispensing cock (24) is disposed above a column (22). Installed, while connecting one end of the beer hose (34) piped inside the column (22) to the beer storage tank (18),
The other end is communicatively connected to the pouring cock (24), a cooling medium is present inside the column (22) so as to cool the beer in the beer hose (34), and the column (22). the bottom outer, the outer surface of the column (22)
A beer dispenser having a dew receiving section (46) for receiving generated dew . 2. A first space (81) and a second space that divide the inner space in the radial direction and communicate with each other at the upper part inside the column (22).
A partition plate (80) that defines (82) is provided, a cooling medium input (48) is provided below the first space (81), and a second space (8) is provided.
Beer dispenser of claim 1, wherein providing the outlet (50) of the cooling medium at the bottom of 2). 3. A cooling water cooling and supplying device (5) for the column (22).
The beer dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, which is configured to be connected to 6) and to circulate and supply the cold water cooled by the cooling supply device (56) into the inside of the column (22). 4. A sink (7) for the cooling water supply device (56).
The beer dispenser according to claim 3 , which is provided integrally with (2).