Dispensing apparatus provided with a cooling unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11092377-B2
Application number	US-201716465544-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2017
Priority date	Nov 30, 2016
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A beverage container cooling unit has: (a) a housing having a slot for receiving a container therein, (b) a cooling element having a cold supply, (c) a heat conductive panel enabling heat transfer between a container provided in the slot and the cold supply; wherein the heat conductive panel has two material layers fixed against one another: (I) a first material layer defining a cooling surface facing the container receiving slot and an opposed surface, said first layer made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient of X1; (ii) a second material layer having a contact surface facing positioned against the opposed surface of the first material layer and a second opposed surface, the second material layer having a thermal expansion coefficient of X2, different from X1, the difference in thermal expansion causing the conductive panel to bulge at a change in temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beverage container cooling unit comprising:
(a) a housing comprising a slot for receiving a container therein;
(b) a cooling element comprising a cold supply;
(c) a heat conductive panel enabling heat transfer between the container provided in the slot and the cold supply;
wherein the heat conductive panel comprises two material layers fixed against one another:
(I) a first material layer defining a cooling surface facing the container receiving slot and an opposed surface, said first layer made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient of X 1 ;
(ii) a second material layer having a contact surface facing the opposed surface of the first material layer and a second opposed surface, the second material layer having a thermal expansion coefficient of X 2 , different from X 1 ,

the difference in thermal expansion, causing the conductive panel to bulge at a change in temperature, wherein X 1 >X 2 , such that upon cooling the heat conductive panel bulges to define a concave shape facing the slot for receiving the container.

2. The beverage container cooling unit according to claim 1 , wherein said first material layer, defining the cooling surface, is manufactured in a material having a thermal expansion coefficient X 1 of at least 8×10 −6 K −1 , preferably at least 10×10 −6 K −1 , or more, such as aluminium.

3. The beverage container cooling unit according to claim 1 , wherein said second material layer is manufactured in a material having a thermal expansion coefficient X 2 of at most 6×10 −6 K −1 , preferably at most 4×10 −6 K −1 , or less, such as invar.

4. The beverage container cooling unit according to claim 1 , the heat conductive panel comprising a socket in thermal conductive contact with the first material layer and enabled to contact the cold supply of the cooling element.

5. The beverage container cooling unit according to claim 4 , comprising a regulator allowing varying the distance between the socket and the cold supply.

6. The beverage container cooling unit according to claim 1 , comprising a pulse generator with an output coupled to a motion producing means for cyclically producing a mechanical motion of a beverage container provided in the slot.

7. A beverage dispensing apparatus comprising the cooling unit as according to claim 1 .

8. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 , comprising a first container containing a concentrated beverage component and fluidly connected to a dispense tap by a first dispense line and a second container or reservoir containing a diluent and fluidly connected to the dispense tap by a second dispense line, the cooling unit integrated in the apparatus for cooling the concentrated beverage container and/or the container or reservoir containing the diluent.

9. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 8 , comprising a mixing unit having an inlet in fluid communication with the first and second dispense lines and an outlet in fluid communication with the dispense tap.

10. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 9 , comprising a carbonation unit, preferably an in-line carbonation unit, having an inlet in fluid communication with the second container or reservoir containing the diluent and an outlet in fluid communication with the dispense tap, the cooling unit integrated in the apparatus for cooling the diluent container.

11. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 10 is a domestic apparatus suitable for dispensing a carbonated malt-based beverage.

12. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 11 an on-trade apparatus suitable for dispensing a carbonated malt-based beverage.

13. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 , comprising a mixing unit having an inlet in fluid communication with the first and second dispense lines and an outlet in fluid communication with the dispense tap.

14. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 , comprising a carbonation unit, preferably an in-line carbonation unit, having an inlet in fluid communication with the second container or reservoir containing the diluent and an outlet in fluid communication with the dispense tap, the cooling unit integrated in the apparatus for cooling the diluent container.

15. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 is a domestic apparatus suitable for dispensing a carbonated malt-based beverage.

16. The beverage dispensing apparatus according to claim 7 an on-trade apparatus suitable for dispensing a carbonated malt-based beverage.

Assignees

• Anheuser Busch Inbev Sa
• Anheuser Bush Inbev S A

Inventors

• Peirsman Daniel
• Vandekerckhove Stijn

Classifications

• B67D1/0861

  the evaporator acting through an intermediate heat transfer means · CPC title

• F25D31/006 Primary

  specially adapted for cooling receptacles, e.g. tanks · CPC title

• F25D2331/802

  Barrels · CPC title

• B67D2210/00104

  Cooling only · CPC title

• F25D19/006 Primary

  Thermal coupling structure or interface · CPC title