GB2201609A - Portable carbonating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable carbonating apparatus includes dosing means to control the amount of gas delivered to the body of liquid being carbonated each time a gas valve (3) is operated. The gas valve delivers gas into a dosing chamber (7) having an outlet controlled by a second valve. When an actuating button (10) is depressed the second valve is closed before the gas valve is opened for the chamber (7) to fill with gas. When the actuating button 10 is released the gas valve closes and the second valve then opens allowing the gas in chamber (7) to pass to the liquid. <IMAGE>

Description

Liquid Carbonating Apparatus This invention relates to apparatus for carbonating liquid, and in particular to portable machines for preparing carbonated beverages. More especially, the invention concerns such machines intended for use in the home and adapted to be operated manua ly.

In carbonating machines of the foregoing kind gas is introduced into the liquid which may be contained in a chamber permanently mounted in the machine, or in a bottle which is loaded into the machine and subseql2ently removed when the carbonation is complete.

The gas is suPplied from a cylinder which is replaced wben the cylinder has become exhausted. A valve is provided to control the flow of gas from the cylinder and this valve may be fitted to the cylinder, in the case of rechargeable cylinders, or may form part of the machine. In the prior art machines it is most common for the gas valve to be opened by depressing a button which, via a lever, pushes down a plunger arranged to engage the valve actuating pin. Machines having gas valve operating mechanisms of this form are described for example in GB-A-1453363 and G8-A-2137894- The amount of gas delivered to the liquid being carbonated

is determined solely by the depression of the button since that controls the extent to which the gas valve is opened and the period for which it remains open.As a consequence, gas is frequently wasted through the button being pressed for too long a time, the degree of carbonation obtained is dependent upon the machine operation, and gas consumption in terms of carbonated drinks obtainable from each full cylinder is difficult to predict.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a portable carbonating apparatus having an actuating member for opening a gas valve for supplying gas to a body of liquid to be carbonated, and dosing means for controlling the supply of gas to limit the amount of gas delivered to the body of liquid on each actuation of the actuating member.

With such an apparatus the disadvantages mentioned above are readily avoided. The dosing means can ensure that a predetermined amount of gas is supplied from the gas cylinder to the liquid each time an operating button is depressed. Thus, the carbonation process becomes easily controllable with a given number, e.g.

3 or 4, button depressions being required to effect satisfactory carbonation of a chamber or bottle full of liquid.

The degree of carbonation obtained can be conveniently controlled by varying the number of times the button is depressed, and the number of 'shots' of gas to be expected from each full cylinder can be accurately predicted for a given machine.

Two forms of @being device suitable for use in an apparatus embodying the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an axial section through one dosing device; and Figure 2 is an axial section through the second dosing device.

The dosing device illustrated in Figure 1 has a, body 1 with a blind bore 2 extending upwardly from the lower end. A screw-threaded counterbore is provided for receiving a gas valve 3 fitted to a rechargeable gas cylinder (not shown) of well known form. The gas valve is sealed to the body 1 by a washer 4 and has a pin 5 which must be pressed down to open the valve. A central boss 6 projects downwardly into the chamber 7 defined by the bore 2, and a stepped through bore 8 passes through the upper end of the body and this boss.

The bore has a wide section 8a, an intermediate section 8b and a narrow section 8c connected to the section 8b through a tapered portion. A gas outlet passage 9 is connected to the intermediate section of bore 8. A plunger 10 is slidable in the bore 8 and is sealed to the upper and intermediate sections by respective seals 11, 12.

When the dosing device is mounted in a carbonating machine, which could be otherwise as described in GB-A-1453363 or GB-A-2137894, a gas tube leading to the gas injection nozzle will be connected to the outlet passage 9, and a lever may be positioned for acting on the upper end of the plunger for moving the plunger downwardly when an actuating button is depressed. Down ward movement of the plunger 10 causes the seal 12 to seal closed the passage through bore 8 at a position below the outlet duct 9, and the plunger then presses down the valve pin 5 so that the chamber 7 fills with gas from the cylinder. Upon release of the actuating button the plunger 10 moves upwardly, so that the gas valve is closed and then communication between the chamber 7 and outlet passage 9 is opened to allow the gas to flow out to the injection nozzle.Thus, a single 'shot' of gas of predetermined amount set by the volume of the dosing chamber 7 will be delivered to the liquid beige carbonated. If the actuating button is depressed again a further equal amount of gas will be delivered, provided the gas valve is opened long enough to fill the chamber 7. In this way and by virtue of the dosing device the total amount of gas injected into the liquid being carbonated is easily and conveniently controlled by the number of times the actuating button is depressed.

The dosing device of Figure 2 is generally similar to that of Figure 1 and the same reference numerals have been used in the two Figures to denote corresponding components. The plunger in Figure 2 is made in two parts 20, 21, the lower part having a through bore 22 which is funnel-shaped at the upper end for co-operation with a conical plug 23 at the lower end of the upper part 21 of the plunger. A collar 24 extending around the plunger part 20 abuts the end wall of chamber 7 to limit upward movement of part 20. When part 21 is pushed down the plug 23 firstly engages in the funnel of part 20 to close communication between chamber 7 and outlet 9, after which parts 20 and 21 move together so that the gas valve 3 is opened by the part 20 bearing dowm on the pin 5, and the chamber 7 becomes filled with gas. Upon the return movement of the plunger, the parts 20, 21 move together until the collar 24 arrests further displacement of part 20. Part 21 continues to move, due to the gas pressure in chamber 7, and by the plug 23 disengaging the funnel communication is established between chamber 7 and the outlet with the result that the gas in the chamber is supplied to the injection nozzle. Thus, exactly as for Figure 1 a predetermined amount of gas is injected into the liquid being carbonated. The machine operator needs only to ensure that the button is depressed for a time sufficient for the dosing chamber to be filled.

Claims (10)

1. A portable carbonating apparatus having an actuating member for opening a gas valve for supplying gas to a body of liquid to be carbonated, and dosing means for controlling the supply of gas to limit the amount of gas delivered to the body of the liquid on each actuation of the actuating member.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dosing means comprises a chamber for receiving gas flowing through the gas valve, the chamber having an outlet for gas to flow from said chamber to the body of the liquid, and valve means openable to open and close the outlet, the valve means including a valve element movable by the actuating member to close said valve means before the gas valve is opened when the actuating member is actuated, and to open the valve means after the gas valve has been closed when the actuating member is returned to an unactuated position.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the chamber is defined in a body, and said actuating member comprises a plunger slidably mounted in the body and arranged to extend through the chamber for cooperation with the gas valve.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the valve element is constituted by a part of the actuating plunger.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plunger extends through a borein the body, an inner end portion of the bore opening into the chamber and defining a gas outlet passage, and said part of the plunger carries sealing means movable with the plunger between inner and outer position in winch the bore is closed and opened, respectively, for flow of gas from the chamber.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said inner end portion of the bore includes axially aligned sections of different diameters, the section of smaller diameter being innermost.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plunger extends through a bore in the body and includes inner and outer parts displacable axially relative to each other, the inner plunger part including an outlet passage for gas to flow from the chamber, and said outer plunger part constituting the valve element and being axially displacable between an inner position closing said outlet passage and an outer position in which the outlet passage is opened for flow of gas from the chamber.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the inner plunger part has an axial bore defining said outlet passage and the outer plunger part comprises a plug engagable with the inner plunger part to close the end of the bore.

9. An apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the body includes an outlet duct communicating with the bore in the body intermediate the ends of said bore, and the plunger has sealing means for sealing said bore outwardly of said outlet duct.

10. A carbonating apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.