Beverage Font Mixing Conduit for Precise Alcohol Concentration Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage dispensing systems face challenges in maintaining consistent alcohol concentration in mixed beverages, particularly in alcoholic drinks, which is crucial for tax purposes and ensuring consumer safety, as they often struggle to accurately mix additives with pressurized beverages.
Innovation Solution
A beverage font with a mixing conduit having electronically controlled valves for precise control of additive flow, utilizing a venturi effect for accurate infusion, and a control unit to adjust the concentration of the mixed beverage based on user input, ensuring the desired alcohol percentage and flavor profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If one or more additives are injected into the stream of beverage from a beverage container to increase beverage variants, then the availability of beverage variants is increased, but it becomes difficult to ensure consistent concentration of the additive in relation to the beverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual or simple mechanical mixing with an electronically controlled valve system that precisely regulates additive injection. The control unit receives user input for desired concentration and automatically adjusts the valve to achieve the exact mixing ratio, substituting imprecise mechanical processes with electronically controlled precision dosing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a control unit that receives parameters representing specific alcoholic percentages or additive concentrations and adjusts the additive valve accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that the desired concentration is achieved by continuously monitoring and adjusting the mixing process based on user specifications.
2Reliability
If multiple beverage variants are provided in separate large kegs to ensure consistent alcohol content, then the alcohol concentration can be controlled, but the space requirements and investment for the establishment increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single beverage container and faucet system universal by enabling it to produce multiple beverage variants through controlled additive injection. Instead of requiring separate kegs for each variant, one multi-functional system can generate various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages by adjusting the additive mixing ratio according to user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves different beverage variants by changing the concentration parameter of additives mixed with the base beverage. By electronically controlling the additive injection amount based on user-specified parameters (such as desired alcohol percentage), the system produces different beverage types from a single container, eliminating the need for multiple physical storage units.
3Measurement precision
If electronically controlled valves and control units are added to precisely control additive flow for consistent alcohol concentration, then the measurement precision of additive concentration is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual mixing operations with an electronically controlled valve system managed by a microprocessor-based control unit. This substitution automates the precision dosing process, where the control unit calculates and adjusts valve opening based on user input parameters, achieving accurate concentration control without requiring complex mechanical mixing mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures consistent and accurate alcohol concentration in the mixed beverage, meeting regulatory requirements and user preferences, while minimizing space requirements with a compact system design.
Implementation Method 1
The mixing conduit constitutes a venturi tube, the venturi tube comprising an inlet section connected to the electronically controlled main valve, an outlet section connected to the outlet and a mixing section interconnecting the inlet section and the outlet section
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a beverage font (10) for a beverage dispensing system. The beverage font (10) comprising a mixing conduit (24) having a first inlet (24A) for receiving a pressurized beverage defining a first alcoholic percentage and a second inlet (26) for receiving an additive defining a second alcoholic percentage. The mixing conduit (24) further having an outlet (18) for supplying a mixed alcoholic beverage product constituting a mixture of the beverage and the additive. The font (10) further comprising a control unit (38) for receiving a parameter representing a specific alcoholic percentage or a specific concentration of the additive relative to the mixed alcoholic beverage. The control unit (38) being capable of causing the additive to flow from the second inlet (26) to the mixing conduit for generating a flow of the mixed alcoholic beverage defining the specific alcoholic percentage or the specific concentration of the additive relative to the mixed alcoholic beverage through the outlet (18).