Beverage container identification and dispensing control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724926-B2
Application number	US-201815974908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2018
Priority date	May 10, 2017
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing beverage from a container, such as wine from a wine bottle. An identification element may be secured to a beverage container and include a tag and optically readable code that uniquely identify the container. A dispenser may dispense beverage from a container, and be able to read the tag of the identification element. Information regarding characteristics of beverage in the beverage container may be associated with a corresponding identification element and include a brand, type, vintage or volume of beverage in the container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beverage dispensing system, comprising:
a beverage dispenser including;
at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the container for dispensing;
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 non-optical reader arranged to non-optically read information from a tag including indicia that uniquely identifies the tag from other tags; and
control circuitry arranged to send or receive information regarding indicia received from a tag; and
a single identification element secured by adhesive to a beverage container, the identification element including a tag arranged to provide information to the non-optical reader including indicia that uniquely identifies the tag from other tags, and an optically-readable code that is machine readable by a device that optically images the code, the optically-readable code including an identifier that uniquely identifies the optically-readable code from other codes,

wherein the beverage dispenser is arranged to be disengaged from and reengaged with a beverage container to which the identification element is secured, and
wherein the control circuitry is arranged to use the indicia of the identification element to obtain beverage-specific information for the beverage in the beverage container to which the identification element is secured, and to use the beverage-specific information to control a dispense rate at which beverage is dispensed from the beverage container or a pressure in the container for dispensing the beverage.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to control the at least one valve based on the beverage-specific information to control a flow of pressurized gas into the container.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-optical reader is an RFID reader, and the tag is an RFID tag that provides the indicia in a radio frequency signal to the RFID reader.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optically-readable code is a barcode, a QR code, or alphanumeric text.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a computer memory that stores a record including information regarding the indicia and the optically-readable code and at least one characteristic of a beverage in a beverage container to which the identification element is secured.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one characteristic includes a volume of beverage in the beverage container, a brand of the beverage in the beverage container, a type of the beverage in the beverage container, a vintage of the beverage in the container or at least one date on which beverage was dispensed from the beverage container.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the identification element is a label that is adherable to the beverage container.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a computer system that receives image information including an image of the optically-readable code and a label of a beverage container to which the identification element is secured.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to communicate with the computer system to send information to the computer system regarding dispensing of beverage from the beverage container and the indicia received from the tag secured to the beverage container.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer system is arranged to associate the optically-readable code and the indicia of the identification element secured to the beverage container along with a brand of the beverage in the beverage container and information regarding dispensing of beverage from the beverage container, and to provide information for display to a user including a brand of the beverage in the beverage container, a volume of beverage remaining in the beverage container, and a date on which beverage was dispensed from the beverage container.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the beverage-specific information includes a beverage volume.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to use the beverage-specific information to control a pressure in the container for dispensing the beverage.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged to use the beverage-specific information to control a dispense rate at which beverage is dispensed from the beverage container.

14. A beverage management system comprising:
a beverage dispenser including;
at least one conduit to deliver gas into a container holding a beverage and to receive beverage from the beverage container for dispensing;
at least one valve to control gas flow into the container or beverage flow out of the beverage container via the at least one conduit;
a reader arranged to non-optically read information from a tag including indicia that uniquely identifies the tag from other tags or to optically read an optically-readable code that includes an identifier that uniquely identifies the optically-readable code from other codes; and
control circuitry arranged to send or receive information regarding indicia of a tag or an identifier of an optically-readable code;

a plurality of identification elements each arranged to be secured to a beverage container, each identification element including a tag arranged to provide information to a non-optical reader including indicia that uniquely identifies the tag from other tags, and an optically-readable code that is machine readable by a device that optically images the code, the optically-readable code including an identifier that uniquely identifies the optically-readable code from other codes; and
a computer device including a memory to store a plurality of records each corresponding to an identification element, each of the plurality of records including information regarding a beverage in a beverage container to which a corresponding identification element is secured,
wherein the control circuitry is arranged to use the indicia or identifier of an identification element to obtain beverage-specific information for the beverage in the beverage container to which the identification element is secured, and to use the beverage-specific information to control a dispense rate at which beverage is dispensed from the container or a pressure in the beverage container for dispensing the beverage.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the record includes information regarding includes a volume of beverage in the beverage container, a brand of the beverage in the beverage container, a type of the beverage in the beverage container, a vintage of the beverage in the container or at least one date on which beverage was dispensed from the beverage container.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the beverage dispenser is arranged to send information to the computer device regarding a date on which beverage is dispensed from the container or a volume of beverage dispensed from the container, and the computer device is arranged update a record associated with the container to include the information from the beverage dispenser.

17. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a beverage container wherein one of the plurality of identification elements is secured to the beverage container by a user.

18. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a user computer device arranged to receive information from the computer server regarding one or more records and to display the information on the user computer device to a user, the displayed information including at least one of a vo

Assignees

• Coravin Inc

Inventors

• Rider Michael
• Silvain Francois Claude Raoul
• Lambrecht Gregory

Classifications

• B67D1/0885

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

• B67D3/0048

  using siphoning arrangements · CPC title

• B67D3/0077

  Electronic circuitry · CPC title

• B67D1/0418

  comprising a CO2 cartridge for dispensing and carbonating the beverage · CPC title

• B67D1/0412 Primary

  the whole dispensing unit being fixed to the container · CPC title