Beverage Server

Abstract

To provide a highly versatile beverage server capable of flexibly responding to a change in a posture of a beverage container.SOLUTION: In a beverage server 10 having an adapter 11 attached to a mouth part 2 of a beverage container 1, and a head 12 that holds a tube 28 connected to a beverage take-out part of the adapter 11 and includes a spouting mechanism 70, when an angle between an opening direction of the mouth part 2 of the beverage container 1 and a pouring direction of a beverage from a spout 12a of the head 12 on a vertical plane is defined as a head inclination angle θb, the head 12 is rotatably connected with respect to the adapter 11 by a connecting mechanism 60 so that the head inclination angle θb can be changed, the head 12 can be restrained at a fixed position within a rotation range with respect to the adapter 11 by restraining means such as a fixing bolt 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage server for dispensing a beverage in a beverage container. [Background technology]

[0002] A well-known system for dispensing beverages such as beer involves assembling a dispense head to a spear valve attached to a metal beverage keg to open and close a beverage flow path and a gas flow path, directing the beverage dispensed from the dispense head to a separate tap device, and switching between dispensing, frothing, and stopping the beverage depending on the user's tap operation. This type of system was developed for commercial use in establishments with relatively high consumption volumes, such as restaurants, and beverage kegs are provided as standardized or specialized products tailored for use with the system. Meanwhile, in recent years, in response to the diversification of beverage serving formats and user needs, attempts have been made to adapt beverage servers to appropriate beverage containers different from the beverage kegs used in conventional dispensing systems, such as relatively small-capacity plastic beverage containers. One such beverage server proposed is an integrated beverage server in which dispensing equipment is directly connected to a beverage container such as a PET bottle (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). A beverage server has also been proposed in which a portion of the head connected to the beverage container is made as a movable part that can rotate relatively around the axis of the mouth of the beverage container, thereby making it possible to change the position of the spout on the movable part in a horizontal plane (see, for example, Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2021-503422 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2021-509650 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-101195 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The configuration of the above-mentioned integrated beverage server varies depending on the specifications of the beverage container, such as its capacity and shape, and the manner in which the beverage server is used. Therefore, the orientation of the beverage container during dispensing, or in other words, the beverage server's usage, varies. For example, the beverage container may be held upright with its mouth facing upward, or it may be tilted with its mouth facing diagonally upward or diagonally downward. Meanwhile, the beverage outlet must face downward to pour beverages into drinking containers such as glasses or mugs. Therefore, the relationship between the orientation of the beverage container's opening and the orientation of the outlet also changes depending on the orientation of the beverage container. However, in an integrated beverage server that connects a dispensing head or other components to a beverage container such as a bottle, the relationship between the orientation of the beverage container's opening and the orientation of the outlet is fixed and cannot be changed. Therefore, various components, such as the head, must be specifically designed to ensure that the orientation of the outlet is appropriate for the orientation of the beverage container during dispensing. This reduces the versatility of the beverage server, which can hinder the development of a wide variety of products.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a versatile beverage server that can flexibly respond to changes in the posture of a beverage container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A beverage server according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an adapter that is attached to a beverage container so as to cover the mouth of the beverage container, and that is provided with a gas inlet passage for introducing gas into the beverage container and a beverage outlet passage for guiding the beverage in the beverage container to a beverage outlet exposed outside the beverage container; a head that has a beverage outlet tube connected to the outlet of the adapter and a beverage dispensing passage that leads the beverage to an outlet, wherein at least a portion of the beverage dispensing passage is formed by an internal flow path of the tube connected to the outlet; a dispensing mechanism that includes an operating member operated by a user and switches the dispensing state of the beverage in response to operation of the operating member; a connecting means that rotatably connects the head to the adapter so that the head inclination angle can be changed when the beverage container to which the adapter is attached is held in a dispensing position, and the angle on a vertical plane between the opening direction of the mouth of the beverage container and the dispensing direction of the beverage from the outlet of the head is defined as the head inclination angle; and a restraining means that restrains the head in a fixed position within a rotation range relative to the adapter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a beverage server according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the beverage server when held in a beverage dispensing position. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the exterior of a main part of the beverage server. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of the beverage server. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the adapter as viewed from the front side. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the adapter as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 7] Side view of the adapter. [Figure 8] Rear view of the adapter. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11]Rear view of the packing. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the packing taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] Close-up of the dispensing mechanism. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view of the beverage server taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a beverage server according to one embodiment of the present invention. Beverage server 10 is combined with bottle 1, an example of a beverage container, to dispense a beverage from bottle 1. Bottle 1 is made of, for example, PET (short for polyethylene terephthalate) resin, and its capacity is set to a few liters at most, making it suitable for home or personal consumption, or consumption in small drinking establishments. However, beverage server 10 may be configured to fit beverage containers with larger capacities. Any appropriate beverage may be contained in bottle 1. In the illustrated example, a sparkling beverage such as beer is assumed.

[0009] Bottle 1 is held in a fixed position by being attached to an appropriate holding means such as a case or holder. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, bottle 1 is held in an obliquely tilted position with its mouth 2 facing up. If the angle at which axis Xa of mouth 2 of bottle 1 is tilted relative to horizontal plane H during dispensing is defined as bottle installation angle θa, then bottle installation angle θa is set to 15°, for example. However, bottle installation angle θa may be changed as appropriate. Below, axis Xa may be referred to as the axis of bottle 1, and the direction of axis Xa may be referred to as the axial direction of bottle 1. The direction of axis Xa corresponds to the opening direction of bottle 1.

[0010] Beverage server 10 comprises an adapter 11 attached to mouth 2 of bottle 1, a head 12 connected to adapter 11, and a roughly cylindrical cover 13 that covers the connecting portion between adapter 11 and bottle 1. To orient spout 12a of head 12 in an appropriate direction even when bottle installation angle θa changes, head 12 is connected to adapter 11 so as to be rotatable relative to adapter 11 about rotation axis RX. Rotation axis RX is set so as to face approximately horizontally when bottle 1 with adapter 11 attached is held in a position for dispensing beverage. Because head 12 is rotatably connected to adapter 11, when bottle 1 with adapter 11 attached is held in the orientation required for dispensing a beverage, and a vertical plane (corresponding to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2) is imagined that includes axis Xa of bottle 1 and axis Xb of spout 12a of head 12, and the angle θb formed by axes Xa and Xb on that vertical plane is defined as head tilt angle θb, then head tilt angle θb can be changed within the movable range (rotatable range) of head 12. The direction of axis Xb of spout 12a is the direction in which beverage flows out of spout 12a, and corresponds to the pouring direction of spout 12a.

[0011] In Fig. 2, the horizontal direction when the beverage is dispensed is shown to coincide with the left-right direction of the page, but in other figures, the left-right direction of the page does not necessarily coincide with the horizontal direction. Also, in Fig. 2, the dispense direction of the dispense outlet 12a is set to the vertical direction (up and down on the page), but the dispense direction does not necessarily have to be set to the vertical direction. The head tilt angle θb shown is an example, and the head tilt angle θb may be changed as appropriate depending on the bottle installation angle θa and the desired dispense direction of the beverage.

[0012] Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the adapter 11 and head 12 with the cover 13 removed, and Fig. 4 shows a cross section of the enlarged view. The adapter 11 closes the mouth 2 of the bottle 1 and serves as a component supporting the head 12. The adapter 11 is, for example, a resin molded component. However, the adapter 11 may include a metal component in part. Alternatively, the entire adapter 11 may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel.

[0013] As shown in more detail in Figures 5 to 9, the adapter 11 has a base portion 20 and a pair of support portions 21 protruding from the base portion 20. The base portion 20 functions as a lid that closes the mouth portion 2 of the bottle 1. A female thread portion 22 is formed on the back side (right side in Figure 6) of the base portion 20. The adapter 11 is attached to the mouth portion 2 by screwing the male thread portion 3 of the mouth portion 2 of the bottle 1 into the female thread portion 22 of the base portion 20. The back side of the base portion 20 has multiple screw holes 23 for attaching the cover 13.

[0014] As clearly shown in FIG. 9 , the base portion 20 is provided with a gas inlet passage 24 for introducing a gas for dispensing a beverage, such as carbon dioxide gas, into the bottle 1, and a beverage outlet passage 25 for leading the beverage in the bottle 1 to the outside of the bottle 1. The beverage outlet passage 25 extends linearly along the center line of the base portion 20. When the adapter 11 is attached to the bottle 1, the center line of the base portion 20 coincides with the axis Xa of the bottle 1. A tubular portion 26 is formed on the center line of the base portion 20 so as to protrude toward the bottle 1 side and the opposite side, and the beverage outlet passage 25 is formed to penetrate the tubular portion 26. Both ends of the tubular portion 26 function as connection portions 26 a, 26 b for the beverage outlet passage 25. As shown in FIG. 4 , a down tube 27 for sucking up the beverage in the bottle 1 is connected to the connection portion 26 a on the bottle 1 side. A beverage outlet tube 28 for leading the beverage to the head 12 side is connected to the connection protruding outside the bottle 1. Therefore, the connection portion 26b functions as a beverage outlet portion exposed to the outside of the bottle 1.

[0015] The gas inlet passage 24 is provided at a position eccentric to the beverage outlet passage 25. One end of the gas inlet passage 24 opens onto the rear surface side of the base portion 20 inside the female thread portion 22. The other end of the gas inlet passage 24 opens onto a gas port 29 provided to protrude from the base portion 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a gas tube 40 connected to a gas supply source (not shown) is connected to the gas port 29 via a tube fitting 41. Therefore, the gas port 29 functions as an example of a gas connection portion. Because the gas port 29 is provided in the adapter 11, there is no need to provide a gas flow path spanning between the head 12 and the adapter 11, which rotate relative to each other, and the gas flow path can be configured simply.

[0016] The tube fitting 41 may be constructed to allow gas to pass in both directions. Neither the tube fitting 41 nor the gas port 29 need to have a check valve function to prevent gas from flowing back to the gas supply source. Meanwhile, a packing 42 is provided between the base 20 and the mouth 2 of the bottle 1 to prevent leakage of beverage and gas to the outside of the bottle 1. The packing 42 is an integrally molded part entirely made of an elastic material (or elastomer) such as silicone rubber. The material of the packing 42 may be any elastic material used in general-purpose sealing parts such as O-rings and seal rings, i.e., any elastic material commonly used as a sealing material.

[0017] 10 to 12, the packing 42 includes a generally disk-shaped seal portion 43, a pair of guide portions 44 protruding from one surface of the seal portion 43, and a check valve portion 45 provided at a position eccentric to the center line of the seal portion 43. A through hole 43a is formed on the center line of the seal portion 43, and a flange 43b is formed on the outer periphery of the seal portion 43. Furthermore, a cylindrical fitting portion 43c having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the flange 43b is provided on one surface of the flange 43b.

[0018] The through-hole 43a has an inner diameter required to pass the tubular portion 26 provided on the base portion 20 of the adapter 11. The flange 43b is insertable into the female thread portion 22 of the adapter 11 and has an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the mouth portion 2 of the bottle 1. The fitting portion 43c is formed to fit onto the inner periphery of the mouth portion 2 of the bottle 1 while being appropriately elastically deformed. Therefore, when the packing 42 is fitted into the female thread portion 22 of the adapter 11 and the female thread portion 22 is tightened onto the male thread portion 3 of the bottle 1, the flange 43b is sandwiched between the end face of the outer edge of the mouth portion 2 of the bottle 1 and the base portion 20 of the adapter 11 so as to be in close contact with the inner periphery of the mouth portion 2 over the entire circumference, and the fitting portion 43c is in close contact with the inner periphery of the mouth portion 2 over the entire circumference. This seals the mouth portion 2 and the adapter 11 (see FIG. 2), preventing leakage of beverage and gas from the joint between the bottle 1 and the adapter 11. When the adapter 11 is attached to the bottle 1, the guide portion 44 is inserted into the mouth portion 2 to prevent the packing 42 from shifting in the radial direction.

[0019] The check valve portion 45 includes a connecting portion 46 that protrudes from the seal portion 43 toward the adapter 11, and a tapered portion 47 that is connected to the connecting portion 46 and protrudes further toward the bottle 1 than the seal portion 43. The connecting portion 46 and the tapered portion 47 are both molded integrally with the seal portion 43 as part of the packing 42. Therefore, the entire check valve portion 45 is also made of an elastic material. As is clear from FIG. 4, the connecting portion 46 is fitted tightly into one end of the gas introduction path 24 of the adapter 11. Therefore, the interior of the connecting portion 46 is connected to the gas introduction path 24.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the tapered portion 47 has a pair of flat wall portions 47a that are inclined so as to gradually approach each other as they approach the bottle 1. Therefore, the shape of the tapered portion 47 changes so that it gradually flattens as it approaches the bottle 1. At the tip of the tapered portion 47 on the bottle 1 side, a narrow, linear slit 47b is provided between the wall portions 47a so as to open into the bottle 1. In short, the tapered portion 47 has a so-called reed valve-like structure in which a pair of flat elastic bodies are combined so as to open when pressure is applied from one direction and close when pressure is applied from the other. When the adapter 11 equipped with the packing 42 is attached to the bottle 1, the slit 47b is located in the inner region of the female thread portion 22 (see FIG. 4).

[0021] Slit 47b opens and closes depending on the difference between the pressure in gas introduction path 24 and the pressure inside bottle 1. That is, when the pressure in gas introduction path 24 is relatively higher than the pressure inside bottle 1, slit 47b opens and wall portion 47a elastically deforms to communicate between gas introduction path 24 and bottle 1. On the other hand, when the pressure in gas introduction path 24 is relatively lower than the pressure inside bottle 1, slit 47b closes and wall portion 47a elastically deforms to communicate between gas introduction path 24 and bottle 1. Note that when a state in which there is no difference in pressure inside and outside check valve portion 45 is defined as a natural state, tapered portion 47 may be formed so that slit 47b is closed by the elastic repulsive force of wall portion 47a in the natural state, or tapered portion 47 may be formed so that slit 47b is slightly open in the natural state. Even in the latter case, if gas is introduced into bottle 1 and its internal pressure rises above atmospheric pressure, and the pressure in gas inlet path 24 drops to below atmospheric pressure, the pressure inside bottle 1 can push wall portion 47a, elastically deforming check valve portion 45 so that slit 47b closes.

[0022] With the above-described packing 42, when gas is introduced into the gas inlet passage 24 from the gas port 29, the pressure elastically deforms the wall portion 47a to open the slit 47b, allowing the gas to be introduced into the bottle 1. On the other hand, if the gas pressure in the gas inlet passage 24 decreases, for example, if the gas tube 40 is removed from the gas port 29, or if the pressure in the gas supply source decreases, or if the gas supply source itself is replaced, the wall portion 47a elastically deforms to close the slit 47b, thereby sealing off the space between the gas inlet passage 24 and the interior of the bottle 1. Therefore, even if the pressure in the gas inlet passage 24 is lost due to reasons such as the removal of the gas tube 40 from the gas port 29, there is no risk of gas backflow from the bottle 1 to the gas inlet passage 24 and leakage from the gas port 29. Furthermore, the bottle 1 can be maintained in a pressurized state with gas. Furthermore, there is no risk of beverage leaking into the gas inlet passage 24 from a pressurized bottle 1. In particular, because check valve portion 45 is located closer to bottle 1 than gas introduction path 24 and slit 47b is located at the tip on the bottle 1 side, when slit 47b is closed, beverage will not enter gas introduction path 24 nor the inside of check valve portion 45. Therefore, the risk of beverage remaining inside gas introduction path 24 or check valve portion 45 can be completely eliminated.

[0023] In this way, the packing 42 not only functions as a sealing component that prevents leakage of beverage and gas from the joint between the mouth 2 of the bottle 1 and the adapter 11, but also functions to prevent backflow of gas and intrusion of beverage into the gas introduction path 24, since the check valve 45 is integrally molded. Therefore, there is no need to add a check valve function to the gas port 29 or the tube fitting 41. This makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and assembly steps, thereby reducing costs.

[0024] 5 to 7, the support portion 21 of the adapter 11 is provided so as to protrude from the front side of the base portion 20 (the left side in FIG. 4). The pair of support portions 21 are provided so as to be aligned parallel to each other with a certain gap G in the direction of the rotation axis RX. The support portion 21 is provided so as to be positioned below the axis Xa of the bottle 1 when the bottle 1 to which the adapter 11 is attached is placed in a position for dispensing a beverage. The support portion 21 is provided with a bearing hole 30 so as to be positioned coaxially with the rotation axis RX. In other words, the rotation axis RX is determined by the axial direction of the bearing hole 30. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, one of the support portions 21 (the right support portion 21 in FIG. 5) is provided with a bolt hole 32 eccentrically from the bearing hole 30, and the other support portion 21 is provided with a threaded hole 33. The bolt hole 32 and the threaded hole 33 are coaxial with each other, and their axes are parallel to the rotation axis RX. Because the rotation axis RX is set below the adapter 11, when the bottle 1 is held tilted with the mouth 2 facing upward, the head 12 can be rotated back and forth across the adapter 11 with the spout 12a facing vertically downward. Therefore, the rotation range of the spout 12a can be appropriately set.

[0025] The outer periphery of the support part 21 is rounded in an area below the bearing hole 30 and on the base part 20 side so as to describe an arc concentric with the bearing hole 30. Meanwhile, the side surface 21a of the support part 21 facing the head 12 extends flatly in a generally vertical direction when in the position during beverage dispensing. By forming the side surface 21a in this shape, the amount of protrusion of the support part 21 toward the head 12 can be reduced, thereby narrowing the range of interference between the adapter 11 and the head 12.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the head 12 includes a rotating part 50, a main body part 51 connected to the rotating part 50, and a cover 52 covering the main body part 51. The rotating part 50, the main body part 51, and the cover 52 are, for example, molded resin products, but they may include metal components in part or may be entirely made of a metal such as stainless steel. As is clear from Figure 4, a tube 28 connected to the connecting part 26b of the adapter 11 is inserted into the rotating part 50 and the main body part 51 of the head 12. The tube 28 passes through the head 12 and extends to the spout 12a. As a result, the tube 28 is held within the head 12 while being appropriately curved up to the spout 12a. The beverage dispensing path 53 in the head 12 is formed by the internal flow path of the tube 28 along its entire length, and the tip of the tube 28 functions as the spout 12a. However, it is also possible to configure part of the beverage extraction path 53 using the internal flow path of the tube 28, with the remainder of the beverage extraction path 53 up to the outlet 12a being formed in the main body 51. In either case, it is sufficient that at least a portion of the beverage extraction path 53 is configured to include the internal flow path of the tube 28. On the other hand, if the entire length of the beverage extraction path 53 from the connecting portion 26b of the adapter 11 to the outlet 12a of the head 12 is configured using the internal flow path of the tube 28, no steps or joints that could disrupt the flow of beverage within the beverage extraction path 53 will be created within the beverage extraction path 53. This can improve the stability of beverage extraction.

[0027] The rotating part 50 of the head 12 includes a flange 54 and a connecting part 55 integrated with the flange 54. The flange 54 is inserted into the gap G between the support parts 21 of the adapter 11. The connecting part 55 is provided with a male threaded part 55a. Meanwhile, a nut 56 is attached to the main body part 51 so as to be capable of relative rotation. The rotating part 50 and the main body part 51 are connected by screwing the nut 56 onto the male threaded part 55a.

[0028] The flange 54 is formed with a bearing hole 57 that can be positioned coaxially with the bearing hole 30 of the support portion 21. With the flange 54 inserted into the gap G, a support shaft 58 is attached to pass through the bearing holes 30, 57, thereby connecting the rotating portion 50 and the support portion 21 for relative rotation about the rotation axis RX. Therefore, the combination of the support portion 21, the rotating portion 50, and the support shaft 58 constitutes a connecting mechanism 60, which is an example of a connecting means for connecting the adapter 11 and the head 12 for relative rotation. A beverage flow path is formed between the adapter 11 and the head 12 by the tube 28. Even when the head 12 is rotated relative to the adapter 11, the tube 28 elastically bends and deforms in accordance with the head inclination angle θb, so that the tube 28 does not interfere with the rotation of the head 12. In the connecting mechanism 60, the rotating portion 50 is disposed between a pair of support portions 21, and the support shaft 58 is provided to pass through them, so that both ends of the support shaft 58 are supported by the support portions 21. This can increase the support rigidity and stability of the connecting portion of the head 12.

[0029] A groove 61 is formed in the flange 54, extending in a generally quarter-circular arc shape around the rotation axis RX. The groove 61 penetrates the flange 54 in the direction of the rotation axis RX. The radius of curvature of the groove 61, centered on the rotation axis RX, is equal to the distance between the axial centers of the bearing hole 30 and the bolt hole 32 in the adapter 11. Therefore, when the adapter 11 and the head 12 are connected by the connecting mechanism 60, the groove 61 is positioned on the axis of the bolt hole 32 and the threaded hole 33 of the adapter 11. In this state, a fixing bolt 62 is threaded from the bolt hole 32 through the groove 61 and into the threaded hole 33. The bolt hole 32 has an inner diameter that allows the head of the fixing bolt 62 to pass through, and the head of the fixing bolt 62 can come into direct contact with the flange 54 or can come into contact with the flange 54 via an intervening part such as a washer. When the fixing bolt 62 is loosened, the fixing bolt 62 moves relatively within the groove 61, causing the head 12 to rotate relatively to the adapter 11, and the head tilt angle θb (see FIG. 2) changes accordingly. In this case, the rotation range is limited to the range of the groove 61. On the other hand, when the fixing bolt 62 is tightened, the flange 54 is clamped between the fixing bolt 62 and one of the support parts 21, preventing the head 12 from freely rotating relative to the adapter 11. This makes it possible to restrain the head 12 at a fixed position within the rotation range relative to the adapter 11. Therefore, the fixing bolt 62 functions as an example of a restraining means.

[0030] The main body 51 of the head 12 is provided with a dispensing mechanism 70 for switching the beverage dispensing state, such as dispensing, foaming, and stopping the dispensing of the beverage. The dispensing mechanism 70 includes a rod-shaped handle 71 as an example of an operating member operated by a user, and a pushing mechanism 72 that changes the amount of pushing of the tube 28 in response to the operation of the handle 71. As shown enlarged in Figure 13, the handle 71 is rotatable around the spindle 73, with its base shaft 71a being attached to the main body 51 via a spindle 73. The pushing mechanism 72 includes a drive pin 75 attached to the base shaft portion 71a of the handle 71, a follower 77 rotatably attached to the main body portion 51 around a support shaft 76, a slider 78 slidably provided within the groove wall 71b of the base shaft portion 71a, and a coil spring 79 arranged between the main body portion 51 and the follower 77 in a compressed state so as to generate an elastic repulsive force that presses the follower 77 against the drive pin 75.

[0031] Figure 13 shows the drive pin 75, follower 77, and slider 78 when the handle 71 is in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. In this state, the drive pin 75 prevents the follower 77 from rotating counterclockwise around the support shaft 76, and the slider 78 is restrained by the follower 77 and positioned at the lower end of its sliding range. At this time, the tube 28 is crushed by the slider 78 so that its internal flow path is completely closed. Therefore, no beverage is dispensed. In other words, Figures 2, 3, and 13 show a state in which the dispensing of beverage is stopped. The cross-sectional shape of the tube 28 in its natural state (unloaded state) is shown by a solid line, but in reality, the tube 28 is deformed so as to be crushed by the slider 78, as shown by an imaginary line in Figure 13.

[0032] On the other hand, when the handle 71 is tilted forward (to the left in FIG. 13), the drive pin 75 is displaced counterclockwise about the support shaft 73, and as a result, the drive pin 75 moves away from the follower 77, releasing the constraint of the follower 77 by the drive pin 75. In this case, the slider 78 receives the repulsive force of the tube 28 and moves upward so as to push away the follower 77, the amount of pushing of the tube 28 decreases, and its internal flow path opens. As a result, the beverage is dispensed from the spout 12a. Furthermore, when the handle 71 is tilted backward from the position shown in FIG. 13, the drive pin 75 is displaced clockwise about the support shaft 73. Because the center distance between the support shaft 73 and the drive pin 75 is smaller than the distance from the support shaft 76 to the contact position between the drive pin 75 and the follower 77, when the drive pin 75 rotates clockwise, the follower 77 is displaced somewhat counterclockwise about the support shaft 76. This causes the slider 78 to move upward by a smaller range than during dispensing, slightly opening the internal flow path of the tube 28. As a result, beverage foam is generated and the generated foam is dispensed from the dispensing outlet 12a. The dispensing mechanism 70 is provided on the head 12 side. Therefore, when the head 12 is rotated, the entire dispensing mechanism 70, including the handle 71, rotates integrally with the head 12, and when the orientation of the dispensing outlet 12a of the head 12 is adjusted, the orientation of the handle 71 also changes accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to properly set the orientation of the handle 71 to match the orientation of the dispensing outlet 12a.

[0033] 3 and 4, the cover 52 of the head 12 is attached to the main body 51 so as to cover almost the entire main body 51 while leaving the spout 12a, the nut 56, and the handle 71 exposed. Meanwhile, the adapter 11 is covered by the cover 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the cover 13 is provided so as to cover mainly the base 20 of the adapter 11. The tip side of the base 20, the support portion 21, and the gas port 29 are exposed outside the cover 13. To cover these exposed portions, an additional cover 92 is attached to the adapter 11.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 14 , the cover 92 includes a pair of cover parts 93 that are assembled to cover different areas of the adapter 11, e.g., one side and the other side in the direction of the rotation axis RX. The cover parts 93 are provided with tube retaining portions 93a that cover the outer surface of the connection portion 26b that protrudes from the base portion 20 of the adapter 11. When the cover parts 93 are assembled, the tube retaining portions 93a press the tube 28 against the outer periphery of the connection portion 26b. This acts to restrain the tube 28 against the connection portion 26b, preventing it from coming loose. The means for fastening the cover 92 to the adapter 11 may be, for example, a structure that uses a fixing member such as a setscrew, or a snap-fit ​​structure that connects the cover parts 93 to each other or the adapter 11 to the cover part 93 by partial elastic deformation. As shown in FIG. 3 , the cover 92 has a rim portion 92a that extends annularly and faces the end face of the nut 56 with a small gap therebetween. The rim portion 92a can limit the rotation of the head 12 relative to the adapter 11 by interfering with the nut 56. Therefore, even if the fixing bolt 62 that fixes the head 12 in a fixed position within the rotation range becomes loose, there is no risk of the head 12 rotating freely relative to the adapter 11.

[0035] The spindle 58 for connecting the adapter 11 and the head 12 may be integrated with the cover part 93. For example, all or part of the spindle 58 may be integrally formed with one cover part 93, and a portion that receives the tip end of the spindle 58 or that carries the remainder of the spindle 58 may be integrally formed with the other cover part 93, so that the spindle 58 is attached to pass through the support part 21 and the rotating part 50 when the cover 92 is attached. The cover 92 is not limited to the example in which it is divided into a pair of cover parts 93, but may be configured as three or more divided cover parts.

[0036] As described above, according to beverage server 10 of this embodiment, head 12 is rotatably connected to adapter 11 so that head tilt angle θb can be changed. Therefore, even if the bottle installation angle θa changes when dispensing a beverage, the orientation of spout 12a, i.e., the direction in which beverage is dispensed from spout 12a, can be set within an appropriate range by appropriately adjusting head tilt angle θb. Then, by tightening fixing bolt 62, head 12 can be maintained in a state in which spout 12a is oriented in the appropriate direction. This allows for flexible response to changes in the orientation of bottle 1, thereby enhancing the versatility of beverage server 10.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be embodied in various modified or altered forms. For example, in the above embodiment, the range within which the fixing bolt 62 can move relative to the groove 61 corresponds to the rotation range of the head 12. However, this rotation range is not limited to the illustrated example and may be set to any suitable angular range. The configuration and shape of the adapter can be modified as appropriate as long as it can be attached to the beverage container so as to cover the mouth of the beverage container and has a gas inlet passage and a beverage outlet passage. The sealing structure between the mouth of the beverage container and the adapter is not limited to the example using the packing 42; a general-purpose sealing part such as an O-ring may be used. The check valve 45 may be omitted from the packing 42, and a check valve separate from the packing 42 may be incorporated into the gas port 29 or the tube fitting 41.

[0038] The connecting mechanism between the adapter and the head is not limited to the illustrated connecting mechanism 60 and can be modified as long as the head is rotatable relative to the adapter. The adapter and head do not necessarily need to be connected by a physical shaft such as a support shaft 58 on the head's rotation axis. For example, a guide mechanism using grooves 61 and fixing bolts 62 may be provided at multiple locations around the rotation axis to allow the head to rotate relative to a virtual rotation axis. Furthermore, the rotation of the head relative to the adapter does not necessarily need to follow an arc-shaped path centered on the rotation axis. The concept of rotatably connecting the head to the adapter also includes a head moving along an elliptical or oval path, as long as the movement includes a rotational component. Furthermore, the connecting mechanism is not limited to the example in which the rotating portion 50 of the head 12 is disposed between a pair of support portions 21 of the adapter 11. For example, it is possible to provide a single support part on the adapter side and place a pair of rotating parts on the head side on both sides of it to rotatably connect them, or to place a single rotating part on the head side on one side of a single support part on the adapter side and rotatably connect the two.

[0039] The connecting structure between the rotating part of the head and the main body part is not limited to the example using male thread part 55a and nut 56, and may be modified as appropriate as long as rotating part 50 and main body part 51 can rotate integrally with adapter 11. Alternatively, the rotating part and main body part may be molded integrally as long as a beverage dispensing tube can be inserted into the head.

[0040] The dispensing mechanism is not limited to an example that changes the amount of depression of the beverage dispensing tube. For example, if a portion of the beverage dispensing path on the head side is formed by an internal flow path of the tube and the remaining portion is formed by a flow path separately formed in the head, a valve mechanism that changes the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path may be provided in an area outside the tube and operated by an operating member such as a handle. Furthermore, the dispensing mechanism does not necessarily have to be provided on the head side as long as it is possible to switch the beverage dispensing state. For example, a dispensing mechanism may be provided on the adapter side to open and close the beverage delivery path or the beverage outlet.

[0041] The beverage containers to which the beverage server is applicable are not limited to the PET bottles shown in the figure, but may be any type of container used to serve beverages. The connection structure between the beverage container and the adapter is not limited to a screw connection, but may be a fitting structure or any other type of connection structure.

[0042] Various aspects of the present invention derived from the above-described embodiments and modifications will be described below. In the following description, corresponding components shown in the accompanying drawings will be written in parentheses to facilitate understanding of each aspect of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated forms.

[0043] A beverage server according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an adapter (11) attached to a beverage container (1) so as to cover a mouth (2) of the beverage container, the adapter (11) being provided with a gas introduction path (24) for introducing gas into the beverage container and a beverage outlet path (25) for guiding the beverage in the beverage container to a beverage outlet (26b) exposed to the outside of the beverage container, a tube (28) for extracting beverages connected to the outlet of the adapter, and a beverage extraction path (53) for guiding the beverage to an outlet (12a), at least a part of the beverage extraction path being constituted by an internal flow path of the tube connected to the outlet, and an operating device operated by a user. The apparatus includes a dispensing mechanism (70) including an operating member (71) for switching the dispensing state of the beverage in response to operation of the operating member; a connecting means (60) for rotatably connecting the head to the adapter so that the head tilt angle (θb) can be changed when the angle on the vertical plane formed by the opening direction of the mouth of the beverage container (direction of axis Xa) and the dispensing direction of the beverage from the dispensing outlet of the head (direction of axis Xb) is defined as the head tilt angle when the beverage container to which the adapter is attached is held in a position during dispensing; and a restraining means (62) for restraining the head at a fixed position within a rotation range relative to the adapter.

[0044] According to the beverage server of the above aspect, the head tilt angle can be adjusted to an angle suitable for dispensing a beverage by rotating the head according to the orientation of the beverage container during dispensing. By restraining the rotation of the head after adjustment with a restraining means, the head can be kept in a state where its spout is facing in the appropriate direction. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in the orientation of the beverage container, and the beverage server's versatility can be improved.

[0045] The connecting means may connect the head and the adapter so that the head can rotate about a rotation axis (RX) that extends horizontally below the adapter in the dispensing position. According to this configuration, the head can be rotated about the rotation axis below the adapter attached to the mouth of a beverage container. Therefore, when the beverage container is tilted with the mouth facing up, the rotation range of the head can be set so that the spout is oriented in the appropriate direction.

[0046] The connecting means may include a pair of support parts (21) provided on the adapter so as to be aligned with a gap (G) in the direction of the rotation axis, a rotating part (50) provided on the head so as to be insertable into the gap between the support parts, and a spindle (58) provided so as to pass between the support parts and the rotating part along the direction of the rotation axis. According to this embodiment, by supporting both sides of the spindle that passes through the rotating part on the head side with the pair of support parts on the adapter side, it is possible to increase the support rigidity and stability of the connecting part of the head.

[0047] The beverage server of the above aspect may further include a cover (92) attached to the adapter so as to cover the adapter from the outside, the removal portion of the adapter being provided so as to protrude tubularly outside the beverage container, the tube being fitted to the removal portion of the adapter from the outside, the cover being formed by combining a plurality of cover parts (93) covering different areas of the adapter, and each of the plurality of cover parts being provided with a tube pressing part (93a) that clamps from the outside the fitting portion between the removal portion of the adapter and the tube. According to this aspect, the cover can be used to securely hold the tube in the removal portion of the adapter to prevent it from coming loose.

[0048] The dispensing mechanism may be provided in the head. In this case, the dispensing mechanism may be provided to change the amount of depression of the tube in response to operation of the operating member to open and close the beverage dispensing path. In these embodiments, the dispensing mechanism is displaced integrally with the head as it rotates, so that the operating member can be oriented in the appropriate direction to match the orientation of the dispensing outlet.

[0049] The tube may extend over the entire length of the beverage dispensing path, so that the entire length of the beverage dispensing path is formed by the internal flow path of the tube, and the tip of the tube may function as the dispensing outlet. By forming the entire length of the beverage dispensing path on the head side by the internal flow path of the tube, steps and joints that may disrupt the flow of beverage are eliminated from the beverage dispensing path, thereby improving the stability of beverage dispensing.

[0050] The adapter may be provided with a gas connection part (29) to which a gas tube for connecting the gas supply source and the gas introduction path can be connected. This eliminates the need to provide a gas flow path across the head and adapter, which rotate relative to each other, and allows the gas flow path to be configured simply. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 bottle (drink container) 2 Mouth 10 Beverage Server 11 Adapter 12 heads 12a spout 21 Support part 24 Gas inlet 25 Beverage outlet 26b Connection part (extraction part) 28 Beverage dispensing tube 29 Gas port (gas connection) 42 Gasket 43 Seal part 43a Through hole 43b flange 43c Mating part 45 Check valve section 47 Tapered section 47a wall 47b Slit 50 Rotating part 53 Beverage pouring path 58 Spindle 60 Connection mechanism (connection means) 61 Groove 62 Fixing bolt (restraint means) 70 Dispensing mechanism 71 Handle (operating member) 92 Cover 93 Cover parts 93a Tube holding part

Claims

1. an adapter attached to the beverage container so as to cover the mouth of the beverage container, the adapter having a gas inlet path for introducing gas into the beverage container and a beverage outlet path for guiding the beverage in the beverage container to a beverage outlet portion exposed to the outside of the beverage container; a beverage dispensing tube connected to the outlet portion of the adapter; a head having a beverage pouring path that guides the beverage to a pouring outlet, at least a part of the beverage pouring path being formed by an internal flow path of a tube connected to the take-out portion; a dispensing mechanism including an operating member operated by a user, the dispensing mechanism switching the dispensing state of the beverage in response to the operation of the operating member; a connecting means for rotatably connecting the head to the adapter so that the head tilt angle can be changed when the angle formed on a vertical plane between the opening direction of the mouth of the beverage container and the pouring direction of the beverage from the pouring outlet of the head is defined as a head tilt angle while the beverage container to which the adapter is attached is held in a pouring position; a restraining means for restraining the head at a fixed position within a rotation range relative to the adapter, The beverage server, wherein the fixed position at which the restraining means restrains the head is changeable within the rotation range.

2. 2. The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the connecting means connects the head and the adapter so that the head can rotate about a rotation axis extending horizontally below the adapter in the dispensing position.

3. The beverage server described in claim 2, wherein the connecting means comprises a pair of support parts provided on the adapter so as to be aligned with a gap in the direction of the rotation axis, a rotating part provided on the head so as to be insertable into the gap between the support parts, and a support shaft provided so as to pass between the support parts and the rotating part along the direction of the rotation axis.

4. a cover attached to the adapter so as to cover the adapter from the outside; The removal portion of the adapter is provided so as to protrude in a tubular shape outside the beverage container, The tube is fitted to the outlet portion of the adapter from the outside, the cover is configured by combining a plurality of cover parts that cover different areas of the adapter, 2. The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cover parts is provided with a tube pressing part that clamps from outside a fitting portion between the outlet part of the adapter and the tube.

5. The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism is provided in the head.

6. The beverage server according to claim 5, wherein the dispensing mechanism is configured to change the amount of pushing of the tube in response to operation of the operating member to open and close the beverage dispensing path.

7. A beverage server as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tube is extended over the entire length of the beverage extraction path, so that the entire length of the beverage extraction path is formed by the internal flow path of the tube, and the tip of the tube functions as the extraction outlet.

8. 7. The beverage server according to claim 1, wherein the adapter is provided with a gas connection portion to which a gas tube for connecting the gas supply source and the gas introduction path can be connected.

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