Beverage dispenser with container engagement features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11292709-B2
Application number	US-201816218912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2018
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A clamp of the dispensing device may include a container engagement surface arranged to engage and/or disengage the clamp from the container neck when the clamp is pushed downwardly or pulled upwardly relative to the container neck. The container engagement surface may include a surface with a lower portion that slopes upwardly and inwardly, and an upper portion that slopes upwardly and outwardly relative to the container neck and that moves the clamp radially outwardly and away from the container neck as the clamp is moved vertically relative to the container neck. A latch may maintain a body portion of the dispensing device in an upper position, preventing needle insertion, until a container is suitably engaged with the base portion of the device, e.g., by a clamp. Sensors may detect engagement of a container with the device and/or insertion of a needle into the container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beverage dispensing device, comprising:
a base to engage with a neck of a beverage container;
a body movably mounted to the base between upper and lower positions and having a needle attached to and extending from the body, the needle being arranged to be inserted through a closure of a beverage container to introduce pressurized gas into the beverage container and extract beverage from the container; and
a latch that releasably locks the body in the upper position until the container neck is engaged by the base, the latch constructed and arranged to release the body for movement from the upper position to the lower position to insert the needle through the closure in response to engagement of the base with the container neck;
wherein the base includes a stop arranged to contact a top of the container neck when engaged by the base, the latch being configured to release the body for movement in response to the top of the container neck contacting the stop.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the stop includes a needle guide arranged to contact a top of a container neck engaged by the base and to guide movement of the needle through the closure with downward movement of the body relative to the base.

3. A beverage dispensing device, comprising:
a base to engage with a neck of a beverage container;
a body movably mounted to the base between upper and lower positions and having a needle attached to and extending from the body, the needle being arranged to be inserted through a closure of a beverage container to introduce pressurized gas into the beverage container and extract beverage from the container; and
a latch that releasably locks the body in the upper position until the container neck is engaged by the base, the latch constructed and arranged to release the body for movement from the upper position to the lower position to insert the needle through the closure in response to engagement of the base with the container neck;
wherein the base includes a clamp defining a receiving space in which the container neck is received and engaged by the clamp, and wherein the latch is constructed and arranged to release the body to move to the lower position in response to the container neck being fully received in the receiving space.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the clamp includes at least one clamp arm that defines the receiving space for the container neck, the at least one arm being spring biased to move relative to the base to exert an engagement force on the container neck when fully received in the receiving space.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one clamp arm includes two clamp arms that are spring biased to move toward each other and engage the container neck between the clamp arms.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one clamp arm defines an entry opening to the receiving space at a bottom of the clamp, the clamp being arranged to fully receive the container neck into the receiving space by inserting the container neck into the entry opening and moving the clamp downwardly relative to the container neck so as to move the at least one clamp arm against the spring bias.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the at least one clamp arm includes a container engagement surface with a lower portion that slopes inwardly and upwardly relative to the receiving space, the lower portion being arranged to allow the clamp to be pushed downwardly on the container neck to receive the container neck in the receiving space and move the at least one clamp away from the container neck while the at least one clamp exerts an engagement force on the container neck.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the lower portion of the container engagement surface is arranged to contact a lip of the container neck such that the lower portion exerts a radially outward force on the at least one clamp arm to move the at least one clamp arm away from the lip of the container neck as the clamp is moved downwardly relative to the container neck to receive the container neck in the receiving space.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the container engagement surface extends vertically on the at least one clamp arm.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the container engagement surface includes an upper portion positioned above the lower portion that slopes outwardly and upwardly relative to the receiving space and the upper portion is arranged to disengage the clamp from a fully received container neck as the clamp is pulled upwardly relative to the container neck.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the upper portion exerts a radially outward force on the at least one clamp arm to move the at least one clamp arm against the spring bias and away from the container neck as the clamp is moved upwardly relative to the container neck.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the container engagement surface is arranged to contact the container neck and exert a radially inward force on the container neck when in the receiving space.

13. The device of claim 3 , wherein the base includes a stop arranged at an upper end of the receiving space to contact a top of the container neck, the container neck being fully received in the receiving space when the top of the container neck contacts the stop.

14. A beverage dispensing device, comprising:
a base to engage with a neck of a beverage container;
a body movably mounted to the base between upper and lower positions and having a needle attached to and extending from the body, the needle being arranged to be inserted through a closure of a beverage container to introduce pressurized gas into the beverage container and extract beverage from the container;
a source of pressurized gas arranged to deliver pressurized gas to the needle; and
a latch that releasably locks the body in the upper position until the container neck is engaged by the base, the latch constructed and arranged to release the body for movement from the upper position to the lower position to insert the needle through the closure in response to engagement of the base with the container neck.

15. The device of claim 14 , further comprising a valve arranged to control a flow of pressurized gas to the needle.

Assignees

• Coravin Inc

Inventors

• Rider Michael
• Deruntz Otto
• Lambrecht Gregory

Classifications

• B67D1/0802

  Dip tubes · CPC title

• B67D2001/0812

  Bottles, cartridges or similar containers · CPC title

• B67B7/26

  combined with spouts · CPC title

• B67D2001/0098

  using a gas · CPC title

• F16B2/10

  using pivoting jaws · CPC title