WO2019240298A1

WO2019240298A1 - Beverage server, beverage server system, and beverage provision method

Info

Publication number: WO2019240298A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/023968
Authority: WO
Inventors: 慶太吉原
Original assignee: サントリーホールディングス株式会社
Priority date: 2018-06-15
Filing date: 2019-06-17
Publication date: 2019-12-19
Also published as: CN112203969A; JPWO2019240298A1; KR20210019407A

Abstract

A beverage server (10) comprises: a container (11) provided with a main body (12) that accommodates a beverage, and a lid (13) that is attached to the main body (12) in an airtight manner, the container (11) being formed so that a gas filling space (11a) is created even when the beverage is accommodated to the maximum degree in the main body (12); a beverage discharge pipe (14), one end of which is disposed within the main body of the container; an opening/closing valve (15) that opens/closes the beverage discharge pipe (14); and a gas inlet (16) of the container that permits only the inflow of a gas. The beverage accommodated in the main body (12) is discharged to the outside of the container (11) via the beverage discharge pipe (14) when the opening/closing valve (15) has opened on the basis of the pressure of a gas which was filled in advance into the gas filling space (11a) via the gas inlet (16) prior to discharge of the beverage.

Description

Beverage server, beverage server system, and beverage providing method

The present invention relates to a desktop beverage server for supplying beverages such as beer to glasses or mugs.

One way to provide beverages such as beer to restaurants at restaurants is to place beer for several people in a container called a pitcher and provide the pitcher to the customer. There is a method of pouring from the pitcher to the glass. The pitcher is a beverage pot with a handle and generally has a capacity of, for example, about 1.8 liters, has a spout, and is attached with a lid that covers the top opening. Patent Document 1 describes such a pitcher.

JP 2017-136272 A

Since the pitcher is not made airtight, the problem of outgassing cannot be ignored for beer left in the pitcher for a long time. In addition, since the capacity of a pitcher used in a restaurant is usually about 1.8 liters, for a customer who pours a beverage without tilting such a pitcher containing the beverage and pouring the glass, it has a certain strength. Is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage server that can suppress gas escape from an effervescent beverage and is easy to operate and can be a substitute for a pitcher.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container comprising a main body portion that contains a beverage and a lid portion that is airtightly attached to the main body portion, wherein the main body portion includes a beverage. A container formed so that a space for gas filling is generated even when the container is accommodated to the maximum extent, a beverage discharge line having one end disposed in the main body of the container, an on-off valve for opening and closing the beverage discharge line, and a gas A beverage server comprising a gas inlet of a container that allows only inflow, wherein the beverage contained in the main body is previously introduced into the gas filling space via the gas inlet before the discharge. Based on the pressure, a beverage server is provided that is discharged out of the container via the beverage discharge line when the on-off valve is opened.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the beverage server according to the first aspect, the gas cylinder, and the fluid connector connected to the gas cylinder, the fluid connector being connectable to the gas inlet of the container of the beverage server, A beverage server system is provided.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, a beverage server comprising a container having a body part for containing a beverage and a lid part attached to the body part, a gas inlet of the container, and a beverage discharge conduit, And a step of preparing a gas cylinder, a step of pouring a beverage into the main body of the container, a step of airtightly attaching a lid to the main body and disposing one end of the beverage discharge conduit in the beverage in the main body, By connecting the fluid connector connected to the gas cylinder to the gas inlet of the container, the stage of introducing the gas from the gas cylinder into the gas filling space in the container, and from the gas inlet while maintaining the gas introduced into the container A step of disconnecting the fluid connector, a step of discharging the beverage in the container to the outside by opening an on-off valve provided in the beverage discharge line, and a step of stopping the discharge of the beverage by closing the on-off valve Method for providing a beverage containing is provided.

According to the present invention, since the gas is introduced and maintained in a hermetically sealed container containing the beverage, the problem of outgassing of beverages such as beer that has occurred when using a conventional pitcher is solved. The Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the driving force of the beverage discharge is the pressure of the gas introduced and maintained in the container, there is no need to tilt a heavy container as in the case of a conventional pitcher for the beverage discharge, All that is required is simple operation of the on-off valve.

Also, it is not necessary to supply gas into the container from the outside during the discharge of the beverage, and therefore the container can be disconnected from a gas supply source such as a gas cylinder. As a result, the beverage server can secure the same mobility as that of the conventional pitcher, but can use an inexpensive large-capacity gas cylinder with a unit price in grams as a gas supply source.

It is a figure showing typically a drink server system by a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows typically the drink server of the drink server system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the drink server of the drink server system by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

A beverage server system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The beverage server system 100 includes a beverage server 10 and a gas cylinder 20 that supplies gas to the beverage server 10. The beverage server system 100 is made of raw materials other than beer, sparkling liquor, malt, and beer-flavored sparkling alcoholic beverage (third beer) mixed with another alcoholic beverage, non-alcoholic beer, Chuhai, highball A sparkling beverage such as a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage can be supplied. In this embodiment, the gas filled in the gas cylinder 20 is carbon dioxide.

The beverage server 10 includes a container 11 for storing a beverage such as beer, a beverage discharge line 14 having one end 14a disposed in the beverage in the container 11, an opening / closing valve 15 for opening and closing the beverage discharge line 14, And a gas inlet 16 of the container 11 allowing only gas inflow. The container 11 includes a main body portion 12 that contains a beverage and a lid portion 13 that is airtightly attached to the main body portion 12.

The main body portion 12 of the container 11 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having an open upper portion having a space for containing a beverage therein. A male screw (not shown) that enables screwing with the lid portion 13 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the main body portion 12. In the present embodiment, the lid portion 13 is formed in a covered cylindrical shape, and a female screw (not shown) that can be screwed with the male screw of the main body portion 12 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion thereof. A seal member (not shown) is disposed between the main body 12 and the lid 13 so that the container 11 is hermetically sealed when the lid 13 is screwed into the main body 12. . Further, the container 11 is formed so that a gas filling space 11a is formed above the beverage as shown in FIG. 1 even when the beverage is accommodated in the main body 12 to the maximum extent and the lid portion 13 is attached. Yes.

A gas introduction line 17 is connected to the upper surface of the lid 13 for introducing gas into the gas filling space 11a. One end of the gas introduction pipe 17 outside the container 11 constitutes the gas inlet 16 described above. The other end of the gas introduction pipe line 17 is opened in the gas filling space 11 a in the container 11. The gas inlet 16 is formed as a fluid connector 16 to which a fluid connector 24 on the gas cylinder 20 side is detachably connected. In the present embodiment, a check valve 18 is provided in the gas introduction pipe line 17 in order to prevent the gas in the container 11 from flowing out to the outside. However, a check valve may be built in the fluid connector constituting the gas inlet 16. Alternatively, an embodiment in which a manual on-off valve is provided in the gas introduction line 17 instead of the check valve 18 is also possible. In this way, the gas inlet 16 can be configured to allow gas inflow but not gas outflow.

Furthermore, an embodiment without the gas introduction conduit 17 is also possible. In this case, a gas inlet 16 composed of a fluid connector incorporating a check valve is provided in the lid portion 13 of the container 11.

The beverage discharge pipe 14 has one end 14 a opened near the bottom in the main body 12 of the container 11 and the other end 14 b outside the container 11. The beverage discharge conduit 14 extends upward from one end 14 a in the container 11, penetrates the upper surface of the lid 13, and extends outside the container 11. A discharge port of the on-off valve 15 that opens and closes the beverage discharge pipe 14 constitutes the other end 14 b of the beverage discharge pipe 14. In the present embodiment, the on-off valve 15 is formed as a cock valve 15 having a manual operation lever (not shown). In addition, an embodiment in which the beverage discharge line 14 does not have a portion extending outside the container 11 and thus the cock valve 15 is directly attached to the lid portion 13 is also possible.

The beverage server 10 further includes a relief valve 19. The relief valve 19 is disposed in the lid portion 13 so as to operate when the pressure of the gas filling space 11a in the container 11 exceeds a predetermined value. When the gas is filled into the container 11 from the gas cylinder 20, by operating the relief valve 19, the concentration of air remaining in the container 11 can be gradually lowered according to the operation time. For this purpose, the operating pressure of the relief valve 19 may be set lower than the set pressure of the regulator 22 of the gas cylinder 20. By reducing the concentration of air in the container 11, oxidation of beverages such as beer in the container 11 can be suppressed.

However, an embodiment in which the air in the container 11 is not expelled when carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the container 11 is also possible. In that case, the beverage server 10 does not have the relief valve 19 or has the relief valve 19 but its operating pressure is set higher than the set pressure of the regulator 22 of the gas cylinder 20. By the way, it will be obvious that the relief valve 19 functions as a safety valve against an abnormal increase in the pressure in the container 11.

The gas cylinder 20 is a normal type having a cylinder open / close valve 21 and a regulator 22, and in this embodiment, a gas cylinder 20 filled with 10 kg of carbon dioxide having a relatively large capacity is used. One end of a gas supply line 23 is connected to the regulator 22 of the gas cylinder 20. The other end of the gas supply line 23 is formed as a fluid connector 24 that can be connected to the fluid connector of the gas inlet 16 of the beverage server 10. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the fluid connectors are disconnected.

As the fluid connector 24 of the gas supply line 23, a so-called quick coupler that can be attached to and detached from the mating connector by hand is used. In this embodiment, the fluid connector 24 of the gas supply line 23 allows the gas flow when connected to the mating connector. However, if the fluid connector 24 is disconnected from the mating connector 16, the gas flow is allowed to flow. A blocking type is used.

As the fluid connector 24, various types other than those described above can be used. For example, the fluid is circulated while being pressed against the mating connector 16 by the force of a human hand, and the pressing force is removed. A type that cuts off the gas flow when disconnected from the mating connector 16 may be used.

Next, an example of a beverage providing method using the beverage server system 100 described above will be described below. In the following description, the beverage is beer, and the beverage server system 100 is installed in a restaurant.

First, the restaurant staff of the restaurant pours beer into the main body 12 of the container 11 of the beverage server 10 from the upper opening. The beer is poured into the main body 12 of the container 11 of the beverage server 10 from, for example, a fixed conventional beer server (not shown) or a large-capacity beer bottle (not shown). The store staff may pour beer from the main body 12 of the container 11 to the limit where the beer overflows. Even in this case, when the lid portion 13 is attached to the main body portion 12 of the container 11, the gas filling space 11a is formed inside.

Next, the store staff screws and attaches the lid 13 to the main body 12 of the container 11. Since the beverage discharge pipe 14 is fixed to the lid portion 13, the end 14 a of the beverage discharge pipe 14 is disposed near the bottom in the beverage when the lid portion 13 is attached. In addition, the store staff confirms that the opening / closing valve 15 of the beverage discharge line 14 is closed.

Next, the store staff connects the fluid connector 24 at the tip of the gas supply line 23 extending from the gas cylinder 20 to the fluid connector of the gas inlet 16 for the container 11. Then, carbon dioxide gas flows into the container 11 from the high-pressure gas cylinder 20, and the gas filling space 11 a in the container 11 is a mixture of carbon dioxide and air having a pressure substantially equal to the pressure set by the regulator 22 of the gas cylinder 20. Filled with. In order to reduce the ratio of air in the air-fuel mixture, the relief valve 19 may be operated when carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the container 11.

Next, the store staff disconnects the fluid connector 24 at the tip of the gas supply line 23 from the gas inlet 16 of the container 11. At this time, since the check valve 18 is disposed in the gas introduction pipe 17, the gas in the container 11 does not flow out from the gas inlet 16. On the other hand, the gas in the gas cylinder 20 does not flow out from the fluid connector 24 of the gas supply line 23. This is because the fluid connector 24 of the gas supply line 23 is of a type that shuts off the gas flow when the connection with the mating connector is disconnected.

Next, the store staff carries the beverage server 10 to a table or the like where customers who visit the store wait.

Next, the customer prepares a glass or the like under the cock valve 15 of the beverage discharge line 14 and then opens the cock valve 15. Then, the beer in the container 11 is discharged through the beverage discharge line 14 based on the gas pressure in the gas filling space 11a in the container 11. When the desired amount of beer has been dispensed, the customer closes the cock valve 15.

According to the beverage providing method described above, since carbon dioxide gas is introduced and maintained in the hermetically sealed container 11 of the beverage server 10 containing beer, the inside of the pitcher that occurs when a conventional pitcher is used Beer outgassing is prevented. Therefore, even if the beer is left in the container 11 of the beverage server 10 for a long time, the carbonic sensation is maintained. Further, when carbon dioxide gas is introduced, beer oxidation can be prevented by using the relief valve 19 or the like to expel the air in the container 11.

Since the beverage server 10 is separated from the gas cylinder 20 after introducing the carbon dioxide gas into the container 11, the store staff carries the beverage server 10 to the customer's table in the same manner as the conventional pitcher, Dispensing can be entrusted to the customer. Moreover, since the beverage server 10 is transported in this way, the gas cylinder 20 is used while being fixed, so that the gas cylinder 20 having a large capacity can be used.

The driving force for beer discharge is the pressure of the gas maintained in the container 11 of the beverage server 10. For this reason, when pouring beer into a glass, the customer does not need to incline the container as in the case of a conventional pitcher, and simply operates the operation lever of the cock valve 15 of the beverage server 10.

Next, a beverage server system 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 illustrates only the beverage server 210 of the beverage server system 200 according to the second embodiment, and the drawing of the gas cylinder 20 and the like is omitted.

The beverage server system 200 according to the second embodiment includes a beverage server 210 and a gas cylinder 20 (not shown) similar to that in the first embodiment. The beverage server 210 in the second embodiment is similar to the case of the first embodiment in the container 11 comprising the main body portion 12 and the lid portion 13, the beverage discharge conduit 14, the on-off valve 15, the gas inlet 16, and the reverse. A stop valve 18, a gas introduction pipe line 17, and a relief valve 19 are provided. The beverage server 210 according to the second embodiment further includes a beverage-containing bottle 205 manufactured at a beverage manufacturer's factory. The bottle 205 containing the beverage is placed in the main body 12 of the container 11 in a state where a sealing plug such as a cap or a crown attached at the factory at the time of manufacture is removed. One end 14 a of the beverage discharge pipe 14 is disposed in the beverage-containing bottle 205.

The method of providing a beverage using the beverage server system 200 according to the second embodiment is different from that described above in that the beverage containing bottle 205 is accommodated in the main body portion 12 instead of pouring the beverage into the main body portion 12 of the container 11. However, the other points are the same.

According to the beverage server system 200 according to the second embodiment, since the beverage does not directly touch the inner wall of the main body 12 of the container 11, heat exchange with the outside air is suppressed, and therefore, when the beverage is beer or the like, the beverage is cooled. The effect that the length of time is maintained for a longer time is further obtained. In addition, the main body 12 of the container 11 that is not directly touched by the beverage can be loosened with reference to cleaning after use as compared with the case of the first embodiment.

Next, a beverage server system 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates only the beverage server 310 of the beverage server system 300 according to the third embodiment, and the drawing of the gas cylinder 20 and the like is omitted.

The beverage server system 300 according to the third embodiment includes a beverage server 310 and a gas cylinder 20 similar to that in the first embodiment. As in the case of the first embodiment, the beverage server 310 in the third embodiment is a container 11 comprising a main body 12 and a lid 13, a beverage discharge line 14, an on-off valve 15, a gas inlet 16, and the reverse. A stop valve 18, a gas introduction pipe line 17, and a relief valve 19 are provided. However, it differs from 1st Embodiment in the main-body part 12 of the container 11 being comprised from the bottle with a drink manufactured at the factory of a drink manufacturer. The main body 12, that is, the beverage bottle 12 is prepared in a state where a sealing stopper such as a cap attached at the factory is removed at the time of manufacture, and one end 14 a of the beverage discharge pipe 14 is near the bottom in the beverage bottle 12. Be placed.

The cap (not shown) from which the beverage bottle 12 has been removed is screwed in the third embodiment, so that the lid 13 of the container 11 can be screwed into the bottle in the same manner as the cap. Is formed. Further, a sealing member (not shown) for sealing between the bottle 12 and the lid 13 is also provided.

According to the beverage server system 300 according to the third embodiment, since the beverage-containing bottle 12 is used as the main body 12 of the container 11, the configuration and the operation method are simplified compared to the case of the first and second embodiments. Is done.

Other Embodiments As a modification of the first embodiment, an embodiment of a beverage server system in which a vacuum double wall structure is used in order to improve the heat insulation of the body portion of the beverage server container is also possible.

Although the example in which the beverage is beer has been described above, embodiments applied to non-carbonated beverages such as liquors such as highball, wine and sake, carbonated beverages such as cola and cider, and juice are also possible.

In the above, an example in which the gas filled inside is carbon dioxide has been described, but other types of gas such as nitrogen gas may be filled. In particular, when filled with nitrogen gas, an effect of suppressing oxidative degradation can be expected in liquors such as wine.

Claims

A container comprising a body part for containing a beverage and a lid part that is airtightly attached to the body part, so that a space for gas filling is generated even when the beverage is contained in the body part to the maximum extent. Molded container,
A beverage discharge line, one end of which is disposed within the main body of the container;
An on-off valve that opens and closes the beverage discharge line, and a gas inlet of the container that allows only gas inflow,
A beverage server comprising:
The beverage contained in the main body is opened when the on-off valve is opened based on the pressure of the gas previously filled in the space for gas filling through the gas inlet before the discharge. A beverage server, which is discharged out of the container through a beverage discharge conduit.
A beverage bottle manufactured by a beverage manufacturer, the container having a main body portion that accommodates a beverage bottle from which a sealing stopper attached at the time of manufacture is removed, and a lid portion that is airtightly attached to the main body portion. And the container formed so as to produce a space for gas filling even when the beverage bottle is accommodated in the main body,
A beverage discharge line, one end of which is disposed in the beverage-containing bottle housed in the main body of the container;
An on-off valve that opens and closes the beverage discharge line, and a gas inlet of the container that allows only gas inflow,
A beverage server comprising:
The beverage contained in the main body is opened when the on-off valve is opened based on the pressure of the gas previously filled in the space for gas filling through the gas inlet before the discharge. A beverage server, which is discharged out of the container through a beverage discharge conduit.
The body portion of the container is a beverage-containing bottle manufactured by a beverage manufacturer, and is configured from a beverage-containing bottle from which a sealing stopper attached at the time of manufacture is removed,
The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the lid is airtightly attached to the beverage-containing bottle.
The beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a check valve for preventing a backflow of gas from the gas inlet to the outside of the container.
The beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas inlet is provided at a distal end portion of a gas introduction conduit extending from the lid portion of the container.
The beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a relief valve that operates when a gas pressure in the container exceeds a predetermined value.
The beverage server according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Gas cylinders,
A fluid connector connected to the gas cylinder, the fluid connector connectable to the gas inlet of the container of the beverage server;
A beverage server system comprising:
A container having a main body part for containing a beverage and a lid part attached to the main body part, a gas inlet of the container, a beverage server comprising a beverage discharge pipe, and a step of preparing a gas cylinder;
Pouring a beverage into the body of the container;
Mounting the lid on the main body in an airtight manner and placing one end of the beverage discharge line in the beverage in the main body; and
Introducing a gas from the gas cylinder into the gas filling space in the container by connecting a fluid connector connected to the gas cylinder to the gas inlet of the container;
Disconnecting the fluid connector from the gas inlet while maintaining gas introduced into the vessel;
Discharging the beverage in the container to the outside by opening an on-off valve provided in the beverage discharge line; and
And stopping the discharge of the beverage by closing the on-off valve.
The beverage according to claim 8, wherein the main body portion of the container is a beverage-containing bottle manufactured by a beverage manufacturer, and is configured from a beverage-containing bottle from which a sealing stopper attached at the time of manufacture is removed. Method.
A beverage server comprising a container having a body part for containing a beverage and a lid part attached to the body part, a gas inlet of the container, and a beverage discharge conduit, and a bottle containing a beverage produced by a beverage manufacturer A bottle with a beverage from which a sealing stopper attached at the time of manufacture is removed, and a gas cylinder are prepared;
Storing the beverage-containing bottle in the main body of the container;
Mounting the lid on the main body in an airtight manner and placing one end of the beverage discharge line in the beverage in the bottle;
Introducing a gas from the gas cylinder into the gas filling space in the container by connecting a fluid connector connected to the gas cylinder to the gas inlet of the container;
Disconnecting the fluid connector from the gas inlet while maintaining gas introduced into the vessel;
Discharging the beverage in the container to the outside by opening an on-off valve provided in the beverage discharge line; and
And stopping the discharge of the beverage by closing the on-off valve.
The method for providing a beverage according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a step of moving the beverage server immediately after the step of disconnecting the fluid connector.
The person who executes from the step of preparing the beverage server and the gas cylinder to the step of moving the beverage server is different from the person who executes from the step of discharging the beverage to the outside to the step of stopping the discharge of the beverage. The method for providing a beverage according to claim 11.