Beverage extractor with controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299383-B2
Application number	US-202117316816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2021
Priority date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing beverage from a container, such as wine from a wine bottle. Dispensing may be automatically controlled based on a detected orientation of the container, e.g., dispensing may occur when a bottle is tilted as if to pour from the bottle and stopped when the bottle is oriented upright. Dispensing may be stopped when the container is rotated about its longitudinal axis even while in a pour orientation. A remaining amount of beverage in the container and/or an amount of pressurized gas used to drive dispensing may be detected and beverage dispensing controlled accordingly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container-mounted beverage dispensing system, the container having a longitudinal axis, the system comprising:
at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing in a user's cup;
at least one valve to control gas flow into the container or beverage flow out of the container via the at least one conduit;
a container orientation sensor to detect rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in a pour orientation; and
a controller arranged to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow in response to rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in the pour orientation.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit includes a single conduit to deliver gas into the container and receive beverage from the container.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the single conduit is part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conduit includes a first conduit to deliver gas into the container and a second conduit to receive beverage from the container.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second conduits are part of a needle arranged to be inserted through a cork in an opening of the container.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a source of pressurized gas fluidly coupled to the at least one conduit.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one valve includes a gas control valve arranged to control flow of gas from the source of pressurized gas to the at least one conduit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one valve includes a beverage control valve arranged to control flow of beverage from the at least one conduit to a beverage outlet.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect the pour condition when a bottom of the container is above an opening of the container, and the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve to allow gas or beverage flow in the at least one conduit when the container is in the pour orientation and to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the orientation sensor is arranged to detect the pour condition when a longitudinal axis of the container is rotated about a horizontal axis by at least 90 degrees, and the controller is arranged to control the at least one valve to allow gas or beverage flow in the at least one conduit when the container is in the pour orientation and to control the at least one valve to prohibit gas or beverage flow when the container is in a no-pour orientation.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is arranged to close the at least one valve to prohibit flow of pressurized gas into the container in response to rotation of the container about the longitudinal axis while in the pour orientation.

12. A beverage dispensing device, comprising:
a base including a clamp configured to engage with a neck of a beverage container to support the beverage dispensing device on the 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 the beverage container to introduce gas into the beverage container and extract beverage from the container;
a container sensor configured to detect that the container neck is engaged by the clamp; and
a controller configured to configured to detect that the needle has been inserted through the closure, the controller configured to enable beverage dispensing via the needle if the container sensor detects engagement of the clamp with the beverage container and the controller detects that the needle has been inserted through the closure.

13. The device of claim 12 , further comprising at least one valve to control gas flow into the beverage container, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one valve to enable gas flow into the beverage container if the container sensor detects engagement of the container with the base and the controller detects the needle has been inserted through the closure.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein the container sensor includes a switch to detect that the clamp is engaged with the container neck.

15. The device of claim 12 , wherein the controller includes a pressure sensor configured to detect that the needle is in fluid communication with an interior space of the beverage container.

16. The device of claim 12 , wherein the controller includes a sensor configured to detect contact of beverage with the needle.

17. The device of claim 12 , wherein the controller includes a pressure sensor is configured to detect pressure at an interior space of the beverage container.

18. The device of claim 12 , wherein the base includes a needle guide arranged to guide movement of the needle through the closure of the container.

19. The device of claim 12 , wherein the controller includes a container orientation sensor arranged to detect an orientation of a container engaged by the clamp, the controller being arranged to deliver pressurized gas to the needle when the container orientation sensor detects the beverage container engaged by the clamp is oriented to pour beverage from the beverage container.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the controller is arranged to deliver suitable pressurized gas into the container via the needle to dispense a defined volume of beverage.

21. The device of claim 12 , wherein the clamp includes two clamp arms that are opposed to each other and biased towards each other to engaged the container neck.

22. The device of claim 12 , further comprising a source of pressurized gas fluidly coupled to the needle, and at least one valve to control pressurized gas flow from the source of pressurized gas into the beverage container,
wherein the controller is configured to control the at least one valve to enable pressurized gas flow into the beverage container if the container sensor detects engagement of the container with the base and the controller detects the needle has been inserted through the closure.

Assignees

• Coravin Inc

Inventors

• Rider Michael
• Lambrecht Gregory
• Sweezey Andrew S
• Vogt Chris

Classifications

• B67D1/0885

  Means for dispensing under specific atmospheric conditions, e.g. under inert gas · CPC title

• B67D2210/00091

  Bar management means · CPC title

• B67D2001/0087

  being mounted on the dispenser housing · CPC title

• B67D3/0006

  responsive to coded information provided on the neck or spout of the storage container, e.g. bar-code, magnets or transponder · CPC title

• B67D3/0051

  dispensing by tilting · CPC title