Beverage supply unit

Abstract

To provide a beverage supply unit that can greatly reduce workload and time imposed on an operator necessary for pouring out a beverage into a big container.SOLUTION: A beverage supply unit 20 comprises: a timer 21 that is attached to a draft cock 12 of a beer server 10 and controls a pour-out time of beer from a beer pour-out port 5; control means that shifts a lever 4 to a pour-out stop state by interlocking with the timer 21 after a predetermined pour-out time elapses; fixing means 27 that fixes the timer 21 and the control means to the draft cock; and, as beverage discharging means for discharging into a pitcher 22 the beverage poured out from the beer pour-out port 5, a beverage tube 23 and a fixing clip 24 provided for fixing an end part 23a of the beverage tube to an injection part of the pitcher 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage supply device such as a beer server that cools beverages such as beer and dispenses them into a container such as a glass placed under a draft cock by operating a draft cock, and more particularly to a beverage supply unit that is attached to the beverage supply device and supplies beverages to large-capacity beverage containers. [Background technology]

[0002] Beer servers are usually installed in restaurants and other establishments, and beer stored in kegs or the like is supplied to a supply port through piping such as hoses by the pressure of carbon dioxide gas. The supplied beer is cooled in the beer server, and when an employee operates the lever of the draft cock, the beer is poured from the beer outlet or foam outlet of the draft cock into a container stand under the draft cock installed in the beer server, or into a container such as a glass held by hand. An example of a conventional beer server is described in Patent Document 1 and other documents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-2886 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In restaurants that supply alcoholic beverages such as beer, beverages are often served to groups of customers using large beverage containers with a capacity of 1 to 7 liters, i.e., pitchers. Because pitchers do not fit on the container stand installed in a normal beer server, in the past, employees would hold the pitcher in their hands while operating the lever of a draft cock to pour beer or other drinks into such pitchers. However, because pitchers have a large capacity, it takes time to pour the beer, and employees must hold the heavy container during that time, which creates the problem of forcing employees to work hard and for long periods of time.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a beverage supply unit that can significantly reduce the effort and time required by employees to pour beverages into large containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a beverage supply unit that is attached to a beverage supply device equipped with a draft cock having a lever for operating to start and stop the dispensing of a beverage, and configured to be able to dispense a beverage supplied from a beverage supply port through an outlet of the draft cock into a beverage container held below the draft cock, the beverage supply unit comprising: a timer that controls the dispensing time of the beverage from the outlet; control means that, in conjunction with the timer, moves the lever to the dispensing stop state after a predetermined dispensing time has elapsed; fixing means that fixes the timer and the control means to the draft cock; and beverage injection means that injects the beverage dispensed from the outlet into a large-capacity beverage container having a capacity of 1 liter or more that is placed at rest.

[0007] As described above, the beverage supply unit of the present invention includes a timer and a control means fixed by a fixing means to the draft cock of a beverage supply device such as a beer server, and further includes a beverage injection means for injecting a beverage to be poured from a pouring outlet into a stationary large-capacity beverage container having a capacity of 1 liter or more, i.e., a pitcher. The timer sets a pouring time for adjusting the amount of beer to be poured according to the capacity of the container such as a pitcher, and the control means moves the lever of the draft cock to a state where the pouring is stopped after the predetermined pouring time has elapsed in conjunction with the timer. As a result, if the beverage supply unit of the present invention is attached to a beer server, the pitcher is kept stationary by the beverage injection means, so that an employee does not need to operate the lever of the draft cock while holding the pitcher in his / her hand. In addition, even if it takes a long time to pour into a pitcher with a large capacity, the timer can be set to automatically stop the pouring, so that the employee is not tied up during the pouring as in the past. In other words, by using the beverage supply unit of the present invention, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor and time required for an employee to pour a beverage into a large container. In addition, the present invention can use a conventional draft cock as it is, and can be easily attached.

[0008] In the present invention, it is also possible to set the timer to start counting when the lever is operated to start pouring. Alternatively, the timer counting may be started manually, independent of the lever operation. The control means for closing the lever after the timer has elapsed can be a mechanism such as a spring connected to the timer mechanism, or an electric means. In addition, if the draft cock has an outlet for pouring beer foam in addition to the beer outlet, the lever can be operated so that the foam is not poured, or the outlet for the foam can be blocked. The present invention can also be used when the capacity of the beverage container is 1 liter or less. In addition, when pouring into a normal small-capacity beverage container, it is also possible to configure it so that pouring into the container can be done by a conventional method such as opening and closing the lever by conventional manual operation, without using a timer, control means, or beverage pouring means.

[0009] The beverage injection means of the present invention is a means for guiding the beverage poured from the spout of a draft cock to a large-capacity beverage container such as a stationary pitcher, and various methods are possible, including a method of guiding the beverage to the large-capacity beverage container via a beverage pipe, a method of placing the large-capacity beverage container on a mounting stand whose height can be selected depending on its size, and a method of moving the large-capacity beverage container placed on the mounting stand close to the spout.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply unit of the first aspect, the beverage injection means comprises a beverage tube connected to the spout and directing the beverage to an injection section of the large-capacity beverage container placed away from the spout, and a fixing device provided for fixing the tip of the beverage tube to the injection section.

[0011] In the beverage supply unit of the invention of this aspect, a beverage pipe is connected to the beverage outlet of the draft cock, and the beverage is introduced by the beverage pipe to an inlet of a large-capacity beverage container such as a pitcher placed away from the outlet. For this purpose, a fixture for fixing the tip of the beverage pipe to the pitcher or the like is provided. As a fixture for fixing the tip of the beverage pipe to the large-capacity beverage container, various configurations are possible, such as a configuration in which a clip or the like is used as a fixture to fix the tip to the edge of the beverage container, or a configuration in which the lid of the beverage container is used as a fixture and the tip is fixed to the lid. The thickness, length, material, etc. of the beverage pipe can be arbitrarily set in consideration of the amount of beverage to be dispensed, the installation location of the large-capacity beverage container such as a pitcher, the time required for dispensing, the type of beverage, etc. For example, the beverage pipe may be made of a silicon tube, and the connection portion to the outlet of the draft cock may be configured to have a thick-walled pipe-like structure having sufficient strength to be press-fitted but not easily removed.

[0012] In a third aspect, the present invention provides the beverage supply unit according to the second aspect, characterized in that the fastener is configured to be fastened to an edge of the beverage container. In this aspect, an inexpensive fastener such as a clip can be used.

[0013] In a fourth aspect, in the beverage supply unit of the first aspect, the beverage injection means comprises a container stand mounting plate fixed approximately vertically to the lower part of the front surface of the beverage supply device and having a plane approximately parallel to the front surface of the beverage supply device, and a container stand fixed approximately horizontally to the container stand mounting plate and capable of placing the large-capacity beverage container thereon, and is characterized in having an adjustment means for selecting the distance between the container stand and the pouring outlet.

[0014] The beverage pouring means of the present invention is configured to fix a container stand on which a large-capacity beverage container is placed horizontally to a container stand mounting plate fixed substantially vertically to the lower part of the front surface of the beverage supply device, and is provided with an adjustment means for changing the position of the container stand on which the large-capacity beverage container is placed according to the height of the container. The container stand mounting plate can be configured as an L-shaped vertical flat plate bent downward at a right angle from a flat plate sandwiched under a beverage supply device such as a beer server placed on a counter, and the container stand can be attached to the vertical flat plate by various fixing means. For example, the simplest configuration may be to provide an insertion hole in the container stand mounting plate, and the container stand may be fitted and fixed by providing a protrusion that fits into the insertion hole, and the adjustment means may be a method in which a plurality of insertion holes are provided at different positions in the height direction, and the container stand is fixed by selecting the height. Also, a moving mechanism may be provided that allows the height of the container stand to be slid manually or electrically while the container stand is attached to the container stand mounting plate.

[0015] In a fifth aspect, the present invention is characterized in that, in the beverage supply unit of the fourth aspect, the container stand mounting plate has a plurality of insertion holes that are different in the height direction, the container stand has a protrusion that fits into the insertion holes, and the adjustment means is constituted by fixing the container stand by inserting the protrusion into the insertion hole at a selected height.

[0016] In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides the beverage supply unit of the first aspect, characterized in that the beverage injection means has a container mounting stand that can be installed on the lower part of the front surface of the beverage supply device, the container mounting stand is capable of placing the large-capacity beverage container thereon, and has height adjustment means that can bring the upper end of the large-capacity beverage container close to the spout depending on the height of the large-capacity beverage container when the large-capacity beverage container is placed thereon. The beverage injection means of this aspect provides a stand for placing a large-capacity beverage container such as a pitcher below a draft cock of a beverage supply device such as a beer server, and makes the height of the stand variable. It is also possible to attach casters or the like to the stand so that it can be easily moved when not needed.

[0017] In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a beverage supply unit according to any one of the first to third aspects, characterized in that the beverage is beer. Beer is the most common beverage served to customers in a large beverage container such as a pitcher. Effect of the Invention

[0018] As described above, the present invention provides a beverage dispensing unit which can significantly reduce the effort and time required by an employee to dispense a beverage into a large container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a beer server shown to explain a first embodiment of a beverage supply unit according to the present invention, where (a) shows the beer server before the beverage supply unit of the present embodiment is installed, and (b) shows the beer server after the beverage supply unit of the present embodiment is installed. [Diagram 2] 2A, 2B, and 2C are enlarged views showing the attachment structure of the beverage supply unit of the present embodiment to a draft cock, in which FIG. 2A is a side view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. [Diagram 3] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a beverage supply unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 4] 4(a) and (b) are a side view and a back view of the container stand, respectively. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a beverage dispensing unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A beverage supply unit according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted. EXAMPLES

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a beer server shown to explain the first embodiment of the beverage supply unit according to the present invention, in which (a) is a beer server before the beverage supply unit of this embodiment is attached, and (b) is a view of the beer server after the beverage supply unit of this embodiment is attached. In FIG. 1(a), the beer server 10 has a box-shaped main body 11 and a draft cock 12, and is placed on a base 13. The draft cock 12 is equipped with a lever 4 for operating the start and stop of beer pouring, and is configured so that beer supplied from the beer supply port 3 can be cooled inside the main body 11 and poured from the beer outlet 5 of the draft cock 12 into a glass 7 held under the draft cock 12. The draft cock 12 also has a foam outlet 6 for pouring foamy beer, and when the lever 4 is tilted to the left, beer is poured from the beer outlet 5, and when the lever 4 is tilted to the right, foam is poured from the foam outlet 6. The draft cock 12 is connected to a beer supply path inside the main body 11 by a connector 8. In addition, a glass stand 2 on which the glass 7 is placed may be provided.

[0022] 1(b), the beverage supply unit 20 of this embodiment is attached to the draft cock 12 of the beer server 10 and includes a timer 21 that controls the beer dispensing time from the beer dispensing outlet 5, a control means that moves the lever 4 to a dispensing stop state after a predetermined dispensing time has elapsed in conjunction with the timer 21, a fixing means that fixes the timer 21 and the control means to the draft cock, and a beverage injection means that injects the beverage dispensed from the beer dispensing outlet 5 into a pitcher 22, which is a large-capacity beverage container having a capacity of 1 liter or more, placed stationary. The beverage injection means in this embodiment includes a beverage pipe 23 that is connected to the beer dispensing outlet 5 and introduces a beverage to an injection part of the pitcher 22 that is separated from the beer dispensing outlet 5 and placed stationary on the pitcher stand 14, and a fixing clip 24 provided to fix the tip 23a of the beverage pipe 23 to the injection part of the pitcher 22, and the fixing clip 24 is fixed to the edge of the pitcher 22. Moreover, beverage pipe 23 is constructed using a silicon tube, and connecting portion 23b to beer spout 5 has a thick-walled pipe-like structure that has sufficient strength to allow press-fitting and to be difficult to come off.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the attachment structure of the beverage supply unit 20 to the draft cock 12 of this embodiment, with FIG. 2(a) being a side view, FIG. 2(b) being a front view, and FIG. 2(c) being a perspective view. The structure and operation of the timer 21, the control means, and the fixing means will be described using FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the timer 21 is a mechanical timer, and when a predetermined dispensing time is set by turning the knob 21a counterclockwise in FIG. 2(a), the L-shaped push rod 25 integrated with the timer 21 rotates and moves away from the lever return rod 26 to a predetermined position. After that, the L-shaped push rod 25 returns to its original position over time. The lever return rod 26 is composed of a base 26b that is pressed by contact with the L-shaped push rod 25, and a pin 26a that is fixed vertically to the base 26b and contacts the lever 4 to return the lever 4.

[0024] After a predetermined dispensing time is set by the timer 21, the lever 4 is tilted to the left in Fig. 2(a) and toward the user in Fig. 2(b) to maintain the beer dispensing state. At this time, the lever return rod 26 is pushed by the lever 4 and rotates to a predetermined position. After that, when a predetermined time has passed, the timer 21 returns to its original state, and the L-shaped push rod 25 integrated with the timer 21 rotates and pushes the base 26b of the lever return rod 26, returning the lever 4 to its original state via the pin 26a.

[0025] In the beverage supply unit 20 of this embodiment, a U-shaped fixture 27 having an insertion hole for the lever 4 is attached to the draft faucet 12 using a locking screw 27a, and the timer 21 is fixed to the fixture 27 using a U-shaped mounting plate 28 and a locking screw 28a.

[0026] As described above, by using the beverage supply unit 20 of this embodiment, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor and time required by employees to pour beer into large containers such as pitchers. In addition, a conventional draft cock can be used as is and can be easily attached. Furthermore, with the beverage supply unit 20 of this embodiment, if only the beverage pipe 23 is removed, it can be operated as a conventional beer server even with the timer 21, fixture 27, etc. attached, allowing for flexible use. EXAMPLES

[0027] 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the beverage supply unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. The beverage supply unit 30 of this embodiment, like the beverage supply unit of the first embodiment, is equipped with a timer 21 attached to the draft cock 12 of the beer server 10 to control the beer dispensing time from the beer dispensing outlet 5, and a control means for moving the lever 4 to a dispensing stop state after a predetermined dispensing time has elapsed in conjunction with the timer 21. That is, the configuration other than the beverage injection means is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, as the beverage injection means, the beverage pipe 23 of the first embodiment is removed, and a container stand attachment plate 31 having a plane parallel to the front surface of the beer server 10, which is vertically fixed to the lower part of the front surface of the beer server 10, and a container stand 32 fixed horizontally to the container stand attachment plate 31 and capable of placing a pitcher 33 thereon are provided. Furthermore, the container stand mounting plate 31 has multiple insertion holes 31a at different heights, and the container stand 32 has protrusions 32a at both ends that fit into the insertion holes 31a, and by inserting the protrusions 32a into the insertion holes 31a at a selected height to fix the container stand 32, an adjustment means is formed that makes it possible to select the distance between the container stand 32 and the beer spout 5. Figures 4(a) and (b) are a side view and a back view of the container stand 32, respectively.

[0028] The operation of pouring beer into the pitcher 33 in this embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, and by using the beverage supply unit 30, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor and time required by employees to pour beer into large containers, and it can be easily installed using a conventional draft cock as is. Furthermore, it can be operated as a conventional beer server without any modification. EXAMPLES

[0029] 5 is a side view showing an outline of a beverage supply unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The beverage supply unit 40 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the beverage supply units of the first and second embodiments except for the beverage pouring means. As the beverage pouring means, the beverage supply unit 40 has a container mounting stand 41 that can be installed on the lower front part of the beer server 10, and the container mounting stand 41 is composed of a container stand 41a on which the pitcher 33 can be placed, a shaft part 41b, a height adjustment part 41c, and a base part 41d. The height adjustment part 41c is configured to be able to raise and lower the container stand 41a using a screw mechanism or the like in the same way as the height adjustment of a conventional chair, and has a height adjustment means that can bring the upper end of the pitcher 33 close to the beer spout 5 according to the height of the pitcher 33.

[0030] The beverage supply unit 40 of this embodiment also makes it possible to significantly reduce the labor and time required by employees to pour beer into large containers, and it can be easily attached to a conventional draft cock and can be operated as a conventional beer server as is.

[0031] Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the design can be modified according to the purpose and use. For example, the timer used in the present invention may be an electric type, and the means for moving the lever may be various mechanical mechanisms. In addition, an electromagnetic mechanism may be used as the control means for moving the lever. The fixing means for the timer and the control means may have a configuration other than that described above. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a beverage supplying device for beverages other than beer that uses a large-capacity beverage container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 2 Glass stand 3 Beer supply outlet 4 Lever 5 Beer outlet 6 Foam spout 7. Glass 8 Connector 10 Beer Server 11 Main body 12 Draft cock 13 units 14 Pitcher's stand 20, 30, 40 Beverage supply unit 21 Timer 21a Knob 22, 33 Pitcher 23 Beverage pipe 23a Tip 23b Connection 24 Retaining clip 25 L-shaped push rod 26 Lever return rod 26a base 26b Pin 27 Fixtures 27a, 28a Set screws 28 Mounting plate 31 Container stand mounting plate 31a Insertion hole 32 Container stand 32a Protrusion 41 Container placement stand 41a Container base 41b Shaft section 41c Height adjustment part 41d Base part

Claims

1. A beverage supply unit is attached to a beverage supply device that is equipped with a draft cock having a lever for operating start and stop of beverage dispensing, and is configured to be able to dispense a beverage supplied from a beverage supply port into a beverage container held under the draft cock through a discharge outlet of the draft cock, A timer for controlling the time for which the beverage is dispensed from the dispensing outlet; a control means for moving the lever to the dispensing stop state after a predetermined dispensing time has elapsed in conjunction with the timer; a fixing means for fixing the timer and the control means to the draft cock; and a beverage pouring means for pouring the beverage poured from the pouring outlet into a stationary large-capacity beverage container having a capacity of 1 liter or more, The lever is rotated around an attachment portion of the lever in a pouring direction to pour the beverage, The timer has a rotation mechanism that rotates in a direction opposite to the pouring direction after the pouring time has elapsed, the control means includes a pin connected to the pivot mechanism and disposed on the front side of the lever in the pouring direction when the beverage is poured, and a mechanism that, after the pouring time has elapsed, is linked to the pivot mechanism and uses the pin to push the lever back to the pouring stop state; The fixing means includes a fixing body that can be fixed to the draft cock, the fixing body is configured to be able to attach the timer, and has a structure that allows the lever to be protruded so as not to interfere with the rotation of the lever in the pouring direction with the timer attached; A beverage dispensing unit comprising:

2. The beverage supply unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the beverage injection means includes a beverage pipe connected to the spout and directing the beverage to an injection section of the large-capacity beverage container placed stationary away from the spout, and a fixing device provided for fixing the tip of the beverage pipe to the injection section.

3. 3. The beverage supply unit according to claim 2, wherein the fastener is adapted to be fastened to an edge of the bulk beverage container.

4. The beverage injection means of the beverage supply unit described in claim 1 comprises a container stand mounting plate having a plane approximately parallel to the front surface of the beverage supply device and fixed approximately vertically to the lower part of the front surface of the beverage supply device, and a container stand fixed approximately horizontally to the container stand mounting plate and capable of placing the large-capacity beverage container thereon, and is characterized in that it has an adjustment means for selecting the distance between the container stand and the pouring outlet.

5. The beverage supply unit described in claim 4, characterized in that the container stand mounting plate has a plurality of insertion holes of different heights, the container stand has a protrusion that fits into the insertion holes, and the adjustment means is formed by fixing the container stand by inserting the protrusion into the insertion hole at a selected height.

6. The beverage supply unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the beverage injection means has a container mounting stand that can be installed on the lower front part of the beverage supply device, the container mounting stand is capable of placing the large-capacity beverage container on it, and has a height adjustment means that can bring the upper end of the large-capacity beverage container close to the spout depending on the height of the large-capacity beverage container when it is placed on it.

7. 7. A beverage dispensing unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the beverage is beer.

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