U.S. patent number 3,647,118 [Application Number 04/847,135] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-07 for liquor-dispensing system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Select Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to James H. Johnson, William C. McGuire.
United States Patent |
3,647,118 |
Johnson , et al. |
March 7, 1972 |
LIQUOR-DISPENSING SYSTEM
Abstract
A manifold having one end elevated with respect to the other,
liquor bottle connections along its length, an air inlet at the
elevated end of the manifold and a liquor outlet at the lower end
of the manifold, is connected to a liquor-metering means. The
bottles are connected to the manifold by valves to permit removing
a single bottle while the others are being emptied. The bottles
empty sequentially but independently.
Inventors: |
Johnson; James H. (Minneapolis,
MN), McGuire; William C. (St. Paul, MN) |
Assignee: |
Select Systems, Inc.
(Minneapolis, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
25299854 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/847,135 |
Filed: |
August 4, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/145.1; 222/1;
222/132; 222/136; 222/400.7; 222/145.7; 222/181.3; 222/181.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67D
1/04 (20130101); B67D 3/0029 (20130101); B67D
2001/0493 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B67D
3/00 (20060101); B67D 1/04 (20060101); B67D
1/00 (20060101); B67d 005/60 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/145,129.4,1,129,129.1,132,185,400.7,399,135,136 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Slattery; James M.
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of dispensing liquor comprising the steps of:
A. connecting a plurality of liquor bottles directly and separately
to a common dispensing manifold,
B. providing a plurality of valves at least one of which is
interposed between each bottle and the dispensing manifold
C. elevating one end of the manifold,
D. applying air pressure to the elevated end of the manifold,
E. opening valves to bottles the contents of which are to be then
used and closing the valves to bottles not then to be used,
F. withdrawing liquor from the lower end of the manifold,
G. replacing empty bottles while continuing to withdraw liquor from
the manifold and connecting liquor bottles;
whereby the bottles are emptied sequentially and independently
beginning with bottles having open valves nearest to the elevated
end of the manifold.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step D includes elevating the
manifold until it assumes an angle of 25.degree. to the
horizontal.
3. A liquor-dispensing system comprising:
A. a manifold having one end elevated with respect to the
other,
B. a plurality of valve members for connecting liquor bottles to
the manifold along its length; said bottles being connected
separately in a manner such that the valve members can be closed
allowing empty bottles to be removed while continuing to use the
contents of those containing liquor,
C. an air inlet at the elevated end of the manifold having air
pressure applied to it so that liquor which has filled the manifold
is dispensed by said air pressure whereby air rises in the bottles
so that bottles empty in a sequential pattern the one with an open
valve nearest the elevated end of the manifold emptying first,
D. a liquor-dispensing outlet at the lower end of the manifold.
4. The system of claim 3 in which the manifold is elevated to be at
an angle of 25.degree. to the horizontal.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Before the present invention, liquor dispensers were so limited in
the manner in which they dispensed liquor as to create problems.
None of the type of dispenser that measured liquor with a pump are
capable of having the liquor supply in the basement of the building
in which the bar is. They simply cannot raise the liquor that far.
Units that use air under pressure to deliver the liquor are limited
in capacity by the strength of the glass in the liquor bottles. The
limitation just described results from the fact that the liquor
bottles in the system are connected in a chain or like a series
electrical system. Liquor is forced out of the end bottle and into
the succeeding bottle. The liquor in the succeeding bottle is then
displaced into the next bottle in line and so forth until liquor
from the last bottle is delivered into a drink. Forces required to
move the liquor increase very rapidly as the number of bottles in
the chain grows. Fairly soon and definitely at some point below the
desired capacity, at least for an active bar with a large
clientele, the air pressure required would exceed the strength of
the bottles. In practice a pressure well below the breaking point
of the bottles is used for safety. This invention obviates the
above limitations on air pressure operated systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a liquor dispenser of the type that uses air
pressure to force liquor through tubes, usually from the basement
of the building in which the bar is located to the bar at street
level. The improvement is in connecting bottles into the system in
such a way that they are used sequentially and may be replaced
independently of the operation of the system on the remaining
bottles. For this reason the pressure necessary to move the liquor
is reduced to that necessary to move the amount of liquor in the
common manifold and hence the only limit on the number of bottles
feeding the system is the space available in which to put them.
Nearly the same air pressure function for 50 bottles as for five.
The only difference would be the added liquor in the longer
manifold necessary for more bottles which is very little.
Basically this is achieved by having a manifold that is higher at
one end than at the other. Air is applied at the high end and
liquor is removed at the low end. In a gravity system, air would
merely be admitted to permit the liquor to flow. In the pressure
system, air at pressures which exceed atmospheric are applied. As
liquor is used, air enters the manifold. Air will rise to the
surface of the liquor when it has a chance. This opportunity is
presented whenever the air reaches a bottle mouth in which there is
still some liquid. The entering air replaces the liquor until the
bottle is empty. For this reason, the bottles near the air inlet
empty first. Each bottle is connected to the manifold via a valve
so that an any inlet to which an empty bottle is connected may be
closed and the empty bottle replaced without disturbing the
operation of the system with respect to the remaining bottles. The
invention is described in detail in connection with accompanying
drawings briefly described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a manifold with bottles secured to
it; broken lines are used to indicate continuing repetitive
parts.
FIG. 2 is a view of a fragment of the manifold from the lower end
of it.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a longer manifold than the one shown in
FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 1, manifold 10 is seen to be supported with one end 11 in
an elevated position relative to the other end 12. One practical
way to do this is with the bracket 14 resting on a horizontal
surface 15. While the extent of elevation is not extremely
critical, an angle of 25.degree. up from the horizontal has proven
to be very satisfactory.
Along the manifold 10 at suitable intervals are the connections 16
for bottles 17. In the particular form of the structure shown,
there are a pair of connections in the form of a Y at each
location. Each connection is provided with an open or closed valve
as at 18. To each valve is secured a flexible conduit of some
suitable type such as the hoses or tubes 19 which terminate in a
stopperlike structure 20 to which the bottles may be secured in a
liquidtight relationship. A suitable means 21, for example the
spring harness shown, is used to keep the bottles in this
liquidtight association. The spring harness, means 21, may include
a suitable device by which to suspend the bottles such as eyebolt
22 and chain 24.
At the end 11 of manifold 10 is the air inlet which when a pressure
system is used, is provided with a hose 25 which leads to a supply
of air under pressure, not shown. At 12 is a hose 26 which leads to
a known liquor dispensing or measuring means, not shown.
FIG. 2 is merely an end view of a fragments of the structure in
FIG. 1 so the same number are used to designate the parts.
FIG. 3 shows a side view of a structure like that in FIG. 1 except
that a larger number of bottle connections are provided. For this
reason, the same numbers are used to designate the parts but they
are followed by the suffix a with the exception of the second
bracket which is called 14b.
OPERATION
To operate the system, valves 18 are closed and a bottle 17 is
secured to the stopper means 20. This is done by releasing chain 24
from whatever suitable structure is used to hold it and lowering
the spring harness 21. A bottle can then be engaged with the
stopper means 20 while the bottle is being supported in a vertical
position. After the stopper means 20 is firmly in the bottle, the
spring harness is stretched until it will engage the bottle bottom
as shown in FIG. 1. Chain 24 is then resecured and valve 18 opened.
When as many bottles as desired are mounted and connected to
manifold 10, air is admitted or applied under pressure at end 11 of
the manifold 10. As the liquor which has filled the manifold 10 by
gravity feed is displaced by air, the connection 16 nearest end 11
is eventually at least partly exposed to the air. As the air is
lighter than the liquor, it will rise given opportunity. As soon as
the air reaches a connection 16, therefore, it will rise in the
connection. If there is a bottle secured to the connection, the air
will pass up to the most elevated portions of the bottle. This
action will permit liquor to flow or force it to flow depending on
whether the system is pressurized or not. Since the bottles nearest
the end 11 of manifold 10 will have air entering them first, they
will always be emptied first. In the course of a very busy
dispensing period, one or more bottles may be entirely empty long
before the anticipated dispensing period is over. If it appears
that may be the case, valves 18 for all empty bottles may be closed
and new full bottles connected without disturbing the continuous
operation of the system. In an event such as that described above,
the dispensing period may end with only partially filled bottles on
the device. These partially filled bottles may be replaced, at
least in part, before a new dispensing period starts. The only
partially filled bottles may then be used up at a time when a less
than full bottle would seem to be adequate to complete a dispensing
period.
The invention is defined as required by law in the following
claims.
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