CN-121990514-A - Pressurized gas source for providing pressurized gas into beverage containers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressurized gas source for providing pressurized gas into a beverage container. A gas source for pressurizing frothed beverage containers and other beverage containers, for example to repressurize the containers to maintain the carbonic acid level of the beverage during storage.

Inventors

• Sarah deslandes
• MICHAEL REED

Assignees

• 科拉温股份有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20210305

Priority Date

20200306

Claims (20)

1. 1. A pressurized gas source for providing pressurized gas into a beverage container, the gas source comprising: A housing comprising a support for a cylinder containing the pressurized gas, the support being arranged to support the cylinder such that an outlet of the cylinder is positioned above other portions of the cylinder; A piercing blow tube arranged to pierce an outlet of the cylinder to release the pressurized gas; A gas outlet mounted to the housing, fluidly coupled to the piercing blow and arranged to provide the pressurized gas for delivery to the beverage container, and A gas flow path comprising a conduit and arranged to direct a flow of gas upwardly and then downwardly from an outlet of the cylinder to the gas outlet.
2. 2. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the gas flow path comprises a regulator fluidly coupled to the piercing blow and the conduit.
3. 3. The gas source of claim 2, wherein the piercing torch is fixed relative to the regulator and the piercing torch are movable relative to the housing and the cylinder to pierce an outlet of the cylinder.
4. 4. A gas source according to claim 3, wherein the support of the cylinder is arranged to hold the cylinder stationary relative to the housing during movement of the regulator and the piercing blow tube to pierce the outlet of the cylinder.
5. 5. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a lever mounted for pivotal movement and coupled to move the piercing blow tube between a retracted position and a piercing position.
6. 6. The gas source of claim 5, wherein the stem defines an outer surface of the housing.
7. 7. The gas source of claim 5, wherein the lever comprises a cam that contacts the piercing torch and moves the piercing torch from the retracted position to the piercing position.
8. 8. The gas source of claim 7, wherein the piercing blow tube is spring biased to move to the retracted position.
9. 9. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a door movable between an open position and a closed position to open and close the cylinder compartment.
10. 10. The gas source of claim 9, wherein the housing includes a latch to hold the door in the closed position.
11. 11. The gas source of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a lever mounted for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position, and the lever is coupled to move the piercing blow tube between a retracted position and a piercing position, and wherein the lever prevents operation of the latch to open the door in the closed position.
12. 12. The gas source of claim 11, wherein the stem defines an outer surface of the housing and the stem covers the latch in a closed position.
13. 13. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the support for the cylinder comprises a U-shaped plate arranged to receive a portion of a neck of the cylinder.
14. 14. A gas source according to claim 13, wherein the support for the cylinder is arranged to resist a piercing force of the piercing blow during piercing of the outlet of the cylinder.
15. 15. The gas source of claim 14, further comprising the cylinder having a flange disposed at the neck of the cylinder, and wherein the support for the cylinder is arranged to receive the neck of the cylinder with the flange positioned on an upper surface of the support.
16. 16. A gas source according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a cylinder holder arranged for movement between an open position and a closed position, and wherein the cylinder holder is arranged to position a portion of the cylinder on the support with movement to the closed position.
17. 17. The gas source of claim 16, wherein the cylinder holder is attached to a door of the housing that is movable between a closed position and an open position.
18. 18. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the housing has an elongated shape with a top and a bottom, the gas outlet being located at the bottom of the housing.
19. 19. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a cylinder holder adapted to receive a first cylinder having a first size in an adapter and to receive a second cylinder having a second size larger than the first size without the adapter.
20. 20. The gas source of claim 1, wherein the gas outlet comprises a valve, the valve is normally closed, and the valve is opened by moving a portion of the valve upward.

Description

Pressurized gas source for providing pressurized gas into beverage containers The present application is a divisional application of the inventive patent application with application number 202180018575.4 (PCT/US 2021021041), entitled "pressurized gas source with piercing device and pressure regulator", with application number 2021, 3, 5. Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority from U.S. c. ≡119 (e) to U.S. provisional application serial No. 62/986,038 filed on 3/6 of 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present invention relates generally to dispensing pressurized gas, such as to re-pressurize a sparkling wine bottle after pouring wine from the bottle. Disclosure of Invention One or more embodiments according to aspects of the present invention allow a user to dispense a beverage, such as wine, from a bottle or other container. In some cases, dispensing liquid from such bottles may be performed one or more times, and a stopper may be engaged with the bottle after each beverage dispense to hermetically close the interior of the bottle. Thus, the beverage can be dispensed from the bottle multiple times while minimizing the impact on the quality of the beverage, and the beverage can be stored for a long period of time between each dispense. In some embodiments, little or no gas, such as air, that reacts with the beverage may be introduced into or remain in the bottle after dispensing the beverage from the bottle. Thus, in some embodiments, a user may dispense wine from a wine bottle, and then may purge air from the bottle and seal the bottle to prevent air or other potentially harmful gases or liquids from entering the bottle. In some embodiments, after dispensing is complete, a pressure above ambient pressure may be introduced into and may be maintained in the bottle, which may help maintain the carbonic acid level in the frothed beverage, and such pressure may be established by introducing pressurized gas through the stopper. In one embodiment, a pressurized gas source for providing pressurized gas into a beverage container or other receptacle includes a housing having a support for a cylinder. The housing may be arranged to be held by a hand, for example with a handle that may be held by the user or to provide assistance in the user's grip. The housing may be fitted with a gas outlet, for example the gas outlet may be fitted at the bottom end of the housing, and the gas outlet may be arranged to provide pressurized gas for delivery to a beverage container or other receptacle. For example, the gas outlet may be arranged with a valve such that pressing the housing down towards the gas port of a gas receiving means, such as a stopper on a beverage container, moves a portion of the valve up and opens the valve to deliver gas. Removing the downward force on the housing can cause the valve to close and stop gas delivery. The regulator may be supported by the housing and may be arranged to receive gas at a first pressure from the cylinder and to provide the gas to the gas outlet at a second pressure lower than the first pressure. The regulator may be arranged in a variety of ways, such as having one or more pressure regulation stages, adjustable output pressure, etc. A piercing blow tube may be arranged to pierce the outlet of the cylinder to release the pressurized gas, and may be fixed relative to the regulator. For example, a piercing blow tube may be attached to the valve body of the regulator. The regulator and the piercing blow tube are movable relative to both the housing and the cylinder to pierce the outlet of the cylinder. Thus, the cylinder support may be arranged to hold the cylinder stationary relative to the housing during movement of the regulator and piercing blow tube so as to pierce the outlet of the cylinder. This arrangement may allow the gas source to accommodate a variety of differently sized and/or shaped gas cylinders, as the cylinders need only be held in a stationary position within the housing to achieve efficient and repeatable penetration. In one embodiment, the housing includes a lever mounted for pivotal movement and coupled to move the regulator and the piercing blow tube between the retracted position and the piercing position. For example, the lever can be movable between an open position and a closed position to move the regulator and the blow tube each between a retracted position and a puncturing position. In some embodiments, the stem defines an outer surface of the housing, for example, a user may grasp and move an outer portion of the housing (the stem) to cause the cylinder to be pierced and/or released from the gas source. In one embodiment, the lever includes a cam that contacts and moves the regulator and the piercing blow tube from the retracted position to the piercing position. In one example, the adjuster may include a follower, such as a rail or other cam follower, that