Container Neck Clamp and Needle Dispensing Without Air Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage dispensing systems often require removal of closures from containers, allowing air and other gases to enter, which can damage the beverage and affect quality, especially when dispensing wine from bottles.
Innovation Solution
A beverage dispensing device with a needle that can be inserted through the closure of a container to introduce pressurized gas and extract beverage without removing the closure, using a clamp to secure the device to the container and sensors to control gas and beverage flow based on container orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the closure is removed from the container to dispense beverage, then the beverage can be accessed and dispensed, but air and reactive gases enter the container which damages the beverage and reduces quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a needle as an intermediary element that passes through the closure to create a fluid communication pathway. This allows beverage extraction without removing the closure, thereby preventing air and reactive gases from entering the container while still enabling dispensing operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an inert gas (such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide) into the container headspace to displace air and create a protective atmosphere. This inert environment prevents oxidation and chemical reactions with the beverage, maintaining quality during storage and dispensing operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the closure remains on the container to maintain seal and prevent gas entry, then beverage quality is preserved, but the beverage cannot be dispensed
Solution Approach 1:
The needle serves as a mediator that enables fluid communication between the container interior and exterior while the closure remains in place. It creates a controlled pathway through the closure material, allowing beverage flow without compromising the seal or allowing gas entry
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the necessary function (beverage flow) from the closure system by using a needle to create a minimal aperture. This allows beverage dispensing while leaving the closure intact to maintain the seal against air and gas entry
3Productivity
If multiple dispensings are performed from the same container, then efficiency is improved, but repeated access compromises beverage quality through gas exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The needle acts as a reusable intermediary that can be inserted and removed multiple times without removing the closure. This enables repeated dispensing operations while the closure remains in place to prevent gas entry, allowing multiple access cycles without quality degradation
Solution Approach 2:
By maintaining the inert gas atmosphere in the container headspace during multiple dispensing operations, the beverage remains protected from oxidation and chemical reactions. The inert environment persists through repeated needle insertions and removals, enabling multiple dispensings without quality compromise
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
Enables multiple dispensings from a sealed container without compromising beverage quality, maintaining a seal and preventing reactive gases from entering, allowing for extended storage and efficient dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
a needle arranged to be inserted through a closure of a beverage container to introduce pressurized gas into the beverage container and extract beverage from the container
Implementation Method 2
the at least one clamp arm may be spring biased to move relative to the base to exert an engagement force on the container neck
Data Source
AI summary
A clamp of the dispensing device may include a container engagement surface arranged to engage and/or disengage the clamp from the container neck when the clamp is pushed downwardly or pulled upwardly relative to the container neck. The container engagement surface may include a surface with a lower portion that slopes upwardly and inwardly, and an upper portion that slopes upwardly and outwardly relative to the container neck and that moves the clamp radially outwardly and away from the container neck as the clamp is moved vertically relative to the container neck. A latch may maintain a body portion of the dispensing device in an upper position, preventing needle insertion, until a container is suitably engaged with the base portion of the device, e.g., by a clamp. Sensors may detect engagement of a container with the device and/or insertion of a needle into the container.