US3221931A - Pressurized system and method for the delivery of beverages from bulk - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 1965 T. PORTER 3,221,931 PRESSURIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DELIVERY OF BEVERAGES FROM BULK Filed March 5, 1964 I33 3@ P i 5 26 10 I L g Q" i y 5 Z 2' A Y y V K )7 /NVENTOI? THOMAS PORTER BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,221,931 PRESSURIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DELWERY 0F BEVERAGES FROM BULK Thomas Porter, Manchester, England, assignor to Porter- Lancastrian Limited, Bolton, England Filed Mar. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 348,960 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-1) This invention relates to a system and method for the supply of filtered beer at the bar of a hotel, club, public hous or the like from a bulk storage, and whether the storage is arranged at a lower or higher level than the bar or is on the same level. The term bulk storage as used herein means a storage container which is more or less permanently installed in a premises as distinct from interchangeable barrels or kegs, and which has a capacity of more than one barrel.

Objects of the invention are to provide conditions of maximum hygiene in such a system, the liquor to be delivered being inaccessible during feeding to the container, and during storage in the container so that it may be discharged at the bar in the same condition as when it left the brewery; to provide for the minimum of effort on the part of the barman in drawing the beer from the bulk storage, the pressure for expelling the liquor at the dispensing point being provided otherwise than by the barman himself; to eliminate all opportunity for a landlord or attendant at a hotel or club to dilute the liquor before delivery, either by adding water to the bulk or by the return to the bulk of drippings and spillings at the bar; and (in cases where this is required) to allow of accurate measurement of the dispensed liquor (within the tolerances allowed by law), irrespective of the amount of head formed whilst dispensing, so that no spilling at the dispenser takes place.

The present invention provides a system for the dispensing of filtered beer in which first beer has been filtered is fed to and stored in a permanently installed bulk container of a capacity larger than one barrel, and in which the beer is drawn off from the bottom of said container as and when required by means of an automatic measuring and shut-off dispenser set to deliver a predetermined measured quantity at each operation. An example of such a dispenser is set forth in British patent specification No. 868,623. For effecting the propulson of the beer to the dispenser, use may be made of pressurising the said container by the admission to the upper part thereof of a pressure gas (such as CO or nitrogen) or use may be made of a driven pump. In the latter cases the pump may or may not be of a metering type, and if of such a type it may be a peristaltic pump or otherwise.

It is preferred that the said container, which may be a compartmented container or a battery of containers for the bulk liquor, be refrigerated so that a chilled filtered beer may be dispensed and, in any case the beer may be made to pass through an in-line cooler in known manner as it goes from the bulk to the dispenser.

With an arrangement according to this invention the dispensed liquor is free from sediment owing to having been filtered before storage, the required accuracy of quality is automatically determined when the automatic dispenser is used and, if the bulk container is suitably pressurized, it is an advantage of the system that a uniform aeration or sparkle is maintained in the liquor as there is no loss of aeration into the empty part of the container as the container empties. There is also a minimum of dripping at the dispenser and there is no spilling at the dispenser since no surplus is delivered, and there is practically no physical effort required on the part of the barman, the propulsion of the liquor to and through the dispenser being the result of the pressurisaice tion of the bulk container or the result of the driven pump.

A further feature of the invention resides in the fact that if apparatus is used for supplying pressure gas to the upper part of the bulk container, this is so disposed that releasable connections between the bulk container and the bottles from which the gas supply is taken, for the interchange of empty and full bottles, are arranged at a level lower than the top of the container, for example, are at the bottom end of a rigid conduit extending downwardly alongside the container, thus making it impossible for liquor to be poured into the container whilst a gas bottle is disconnected. A suitable pressure gauge will usually be fitted to the container to indicate the interior pressure, and this gauge may be associated with an automatically controlled valve so as to maintain a constant interior pressure in the container without supervision.

Further the beer will be fed into the container through the outlet opening at the bottom, after a suitable interchange between supply and delivery conduits, thus rendering any filling orifice at the top of the container unnecessary and thereby further eliminating the risk of dilution of the beer. Venting of the container during the filling operation will be arranged for at the gas inlet by the use of suitable interchange valves or like means.

Normally provision will be made for accommodating one or more gas bottles alongside, on or below or otherwise adjacent the bulk container so that a packaged system may be provided. In other arrangements the gas bottle or bottles may be stored elsewhere and have a suitable pipe communication with the bulk container. In some such cases for example the gas bottle or bottles may be arranged to be suspended from a ceiling, adjacent the container though this is not preferred. Or, there may be a relatively large gas bottle standing on the floor and supplying pressure gas to a number of containers simultaneously. However, what is preferred is the use of a smaller gas bottle for each container, mounted on the same stillage as the container.

In the serving of beer from bulk it is contrary to law in some countries to serve less than the amount requested by the customer, say half-pint or the like, and it is also contrary to law in some countries to serve more than the amount requested, subject to a permitted tolerance. By reason of the first of these requirements it has been the practice to mark vessels for public use with a line indicating the level to which the vessel must be filled to give the correct volume asked for. As the pouring of aerated liquors produces a froth or head which, when it subsides will be included in the volume served, it has been customary to make the vessels large enough to accommodate such a head but, only to a limited amount so as to avoid any breach of the regulation forbidding an over-supply. These circumstances necessitate care and skill on the part of the barman or other server if spilling-over is to be prevented.

However, it has been found in practice that spillingover occurs very often, the server not taking suflicient care or not having sufiicient time so to regulate the head that no spilling occurs. This spilling-over involves the messing of the outside of the vessel and of the surface on which the vessel stands, and it also necessitates the use of a drip tray to collect the spillings. The collected spillage is frequently returned by the hotel landlord or club attendant or the like to the bulk supply, despite regulations to the contrary, a habit which is unhygienic and objectionable.

In the improved system according to the present invention all these difiiculties are overcome by the use with the said metering type dispense apparatus of a drinking vessel of greater capacity than is required for the metered quantity and for any head which would be produced in the dispensing of that quantity from such metering dispenser. This ensures an accurate supply, entirely free from spillage and, if the vessel is marked relieves the barman of any necessity to calculate by how much he should stop short of the mark to allow for the added volume of the head when it has subsided.

The invention therefore provides, for use in a pressurised automatic shut-01f type of delivery systems as defined above a drinking vessel marked with the necessary level indication for a specific volume of liquor and having a capacity above that level slightly larger than is necessary to accommodate any head that might form during dispensing.

Representative examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

. FIG. 1 represents a section through a building in which the apparatus is installed, and where the bulk container is pressurised; and

FIG. 2 is a similar view illustrating a case where the beer is pumped from the container.

As shown in FIG. 1 there is a thermally-insulated bulk container 1 resting on supports 2 and having a flanged outlet 3, at the bottom 31 of the container which either a supply pipe 26 or a header 4 may be interchangeably attached, the header 4 having valve-controlled delivery pipes 5 leading to various dispense points in the building, one of which is shown as a bar counter 6 on an upper floor 23 of the building. There may be of course more than one such container, connected either in series or in parallel. The thermal insulation is designated 36, the valves in delivery pipes 5 are designated 25. The room, in which the container is located, is desiguated 24, and the in-line cooler is designated 22.

At the rear of the counter 6 is an automatic metering dispenser 7 for example such as that disclosed in British patent specification No. 868,623 and having a delivery outlet 8 from which the drinking vessels 9 may be filled. Each vessel 9 includes a mark 19 as a level indication, the portion below the line having the capacity to contain a predetermined, metered quantity 20 of beer delivered from the dispenser 7. The portion above the line is of predetermined capacity sufficient to hold any head, or froth, 21 produced by the quantity 20 Without spillage.

Standing on the basement floor at 10 is a C0 bottle 11 the discharge nozzle from which is connected by a conduit and releasable connections 34 and 35 forming the union 13 at the lower end 29 of a rigid gas pipe 14 lower than the top 30 of the container, the other, or upper, end 28 of conduit 12 entering the container 1 at the gas inlet port, or orifice 15. Thereby the gas pressure from the cylinder or bottle 11 can be applied to the top of the liquor in the container 1. The purpose of feeding the gas conduit 12 to the union 13 at a lower point than the point of entry 15 into the container 1 as shown, is to prevent the entry into the container of water or drippings etc., say during the time when an empty gas bottle 11 is being replaced by a full one. In this case the liquor is discharged from the container, lifted to the dispensing point, and the dispenser operated, all by the fluid pressure means 33 consisting of the pressure of CO in the container.

In the alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the pressurisation of the container 1 is dispensed with except for maintaining the correct amount of gasification of the liquor, and a driven pump 16 is provided for propelling the beer to the dispense point or points.' This may be a metering pump, for example, a peristaltic pump or it may stop or start under control of the dispense valve or tap, or it may be a continuously running pump with by-pass means to divert the pumped beer when the dispense outlet is closed.

As can be seen, the use of this invention results in the delivery at each service of an exactly metered quantity of filtered, refrigerated undiluted beer, without dripping or spilling at the dispense point, the delivery being into a drinking vessel which is of a larger size than is necessary to contain the required quantity and any head that may form but, as the metering is automatic, there is no necessity for the server to take care as to how much is entered into the drinking vessel.

What I claim is:

1. A hygienic, filtered beer storage and system, said system comprising:

a storage room;

a bulk storage beer container having a capacity of more than one barrel, said container having a gas inlet at the top thereof but being free of liquid filling orifices except for a liquid inlet and outlet opening, closed by a header, at the bottom thereof;

supports permanently installing said container in said room;

a gas pipe, of rigid material, having an upper end connected to said gas inlet and having a lower end extending downwardly therefrom, to a level lower than the top of said container, for preventing the introduction of liquid into said inlet;

a metering tap, mounted outside of said storage room, said tap dispensing a predetermined quantity of beer, plus the head normally produced by such quantity;

a beer delivery conduit connecting said tap to said header;

a beer supply conduit leading away from said container, said conduit having a delivery end interchangeably with said header for filling said container;

and fiuid pressure means in said system, in advance of said tap, said means being operable on the beer in said system to deliver said beer under predetermined pressure to said tap;

whereby said system is inaccessible for introduction of dilutants, drippings or spillings during supply to, storage in and delivery from said container.

2. A hygienic, filtered, beer storage and dispensing system as specified in claim 1 wherein said gas pipe includes a releasable connection at the lower end thereof, and

said fluid pressure means includes a pressurized gas bottle, in said room, said bottle having a gas conduit with a releasable connection forming a union with the said releasable connection on the lower end of said gas pipe;

whereby the beer in said bulk container is pressurized above the level thereof to propel said beer into said beer delivery conduit but said beer cannot be liquid contaminated during the changing of gas bottles.

3. A hygienic, filtered beer storage and dispensing system as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said fluid pressure means includes a driven pump mounted in said room at the level of the bottom of said container, said pump being in said beer delivery conduit;

whereby said pump delivers beer under pressure to said tap and said rigid gas pipe vents the beer in said container, while maintaining the inaccessibility of said system to contamination.

4. A hygienic, filtered beer storage and dispensing system as specified in claim 1, plus thermal insulation on said permanently installed bulk container, and

an in-line cooler mounted in said system between said bulk container and said tap for chilling said filtered beer in advance of said tap.

5. A hygienic, filtered beer storage and dispensing system as specified in claim 1, plus a drinking vessel of greater capacity than is required to contain the said predetermined quantity of beer dispensed by said metering tap and to Contain the dispensing head normally produced in the dispensing of that quantity for receiving the same without spillage;

whereby no drip tray is necessitated to collect spillage and attempts to return spillage into said hygienic system are avoided.

6. A hygienic method of metering tap dispensing of volume occupied by the head normally produced by said quantity, and

sizing said vessel to a capacity capable of containing the combined volume of said metered quantity of beer and head without spillage.

7. A method as specified in claim 6 plus the step of:

marking said vessel with a level indication for the said specific volume of metered beer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,081,022 5/ 1937 Smith 222-399 2,081,650 5/1937 Taminga et a1. 2,086,000 7/1937 Roren 222-699 X 2,253,884 8/1941 Beecher 222399 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A HYGIENIC, FILTERED BEER STORAGE AND DISPENSING SYSTEM, SAID SYSTEM COMPRSING: A STORAGE ROOM; A BULK STORAGE BEER CONTAINER HAVING A CAPACITY OF MORE THAN ONE BARREL, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A GAS INLET AT THE TOP THEREOF BUT BEING FREE OF LIQUID FILLING ORIFICES EXCEPT FOR A LIQUID INLET AND OUTLET OPENING, CLOSED BY A HEADER, AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF; SUPPORTS PERMANENTLY INSTALLING SAID CONTAINER IN SAID ROOM; A GAS PIPE, OF RIGID MATERIAL, HAVING AN UPPER END CONNECTED TO SAID GAS INLET AND HAVING A LOWER END EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, TO A LEVEL LOWER THAN THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER, FOR PREVENTING THE INTRODUCTION OF LIQUID INTO SAID INLET; A METERING TAP, MOUNTED OUTSIDE OF SAID STORAGE ROOM, SAID TAP DISPENSING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF BEER, PLUS THE HEAD NORMALLY PRODUCED BY SUCH QUANTITY; A BEER DELIVERY CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID TAP TO SAID HEADER; A BEER SUPPLY CONDUIT LEADING AWAY FROM SAID CONTAINER, SAID CONDUIT HAVING A DELIVERY END INTERCHANGEABLY WITH SAID HEADER FOR FILLING SAID CONTAINER; AND FLUID PRESSURE MEANS IN SAID SYSTEM, IN ADVANCE OF SAID TAP, SAID MEANS BEING OPERABLE ON THE BEER IN SAID SYSTEM TO DELIVER SAID BEER UNDER PREDETERMINED PRESSURE TO SAID TAP; WHEREBY SAID SYSTEM IS INACCESSIBLE FOR INTRODUCTION OF DILUTANTS, DRIPPINGS OR SPILLINGS DURING SUPPLY TO, STORAGE IN AND DELIVERY FROM SAID CONTAINER.

Images