Bottom-Fill Beverage Coupling Assembly to Minimize Foam
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for filling containers with carbonated beverages often result in excessive foam, leading to waste and requiring additional time and effort to manage, as they typically involve top filling which increases foam formation and requires multiple actions and physical contact with the container.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing system that fills containers through their bottom, using a valve and coupling device to create a fluid flow path, allowing for efficient filling while minimizing foam creation and incorporating features like a flushing system to prevent stale liquid accumulation and rapid drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If top filling method is used, then the container can be filled, but excessive foam is generated leading to waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional top-filling approach by implementing bottom-up filling. The dispensing system positions the dispensing connection device at the bottom of the serving container, allowing liquid to enter from below and rise naturally, which minimizes foam generation and beverage waste while maintaining efficient filling operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spatial dimension of the filling operation by transitioning from vertical top-down filling to horizontal bottom-up filling. The dispensing connection device extends horizontally into the container from the bottom, creating a new filling dimension that reduces foam entrainment and improves liquid transfer efficiency.
2Productivity
If top filling method is used, then the container can be filled, but multiple actions and physical contact are required
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing system incorporates automatic detection and control features that enable the filling operation to initiate and complete without continuous manual intervention. The system automatically detects when a serving container is properly positioned and begins filling, reducing the need for multiple manual actions and physical contact during the filling process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the dispensing connection device, including positioning guidance, sealing, and fluid delivery in a single integrated component. This merging of functions reduces operational complexity by eliminating the need for separate positioning and sealing actions that are required in conventional top-filling systems.
3Productivity
If conventional dispensing device is used, then filling can be performed, but large counter space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing connection device is designed to nest within or attach to existing container structures, utilizing the container's own geometry rather than requiring a separate large dispensing apparatus. This nested configuration significantly reduces the counter space required while maintaining full filling capability.
4Productivity
If conventional filling method is used, then liquid can be transferred, but foam accumulates requiring settling time
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the filling direction to bottom-up, the system allows foam to naturally rise and escape during the filling process rather than being trapped at the top. This eliminates the need for post-filling settling time while maintaining high transfer rates, as the foam separates from the liquid during filling rather than after.
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
The system reduces foam formation and waste by filling from the bottom, streamlining the filling process, and includes a flushing system to maintain cleanliness and efficiency, allowing for automatic or semi-automatic operation with reduced physical contact and space requirements.
Implementation Method 1
the coupling device including a valve biasing the coupling device in a closed fluid-tight position via magnetic attraction of opposing first and second components, each of the opposing first and second components including a magnetic material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing a beverage, including obtaining a beverage container, accessing a dispensing system, entering a volume amount into a user interface, placing the beverage container on a nozzle, and filling the beverage container with the beverage. The beverage container may include a bottom surface including an opening, a ring including a first magnetic material, the ring connected to the bottom surface around the opening, and a cap including a second magnetic material, the cap magnetically coupled to the ring in a beverage container closed position. The dispensing system may include the user interface, a platform including one or more ports, and the nozzle provided in each of the one or more ports. The method may further include moving a translating member with respect to a shaft to position a plurality of apertures in an interior of the beverage container.