Multi-Use Beverage Appliance for Controlled Carbonation and Shelf Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional beverage dispensing systems are limited in their ability to produce a variety of beverages with different characteristics, such as carbonation levels, due to the need for separate machines and cumbersome interfaces, and often suffer from issues like light and oxygen ingress that affect the quality and shelf life of the beverages.
Innovation Solution
A multi-use beverage system that includes a beverage appliance and container, where the container is designed to shield the beverage material from light and oxygen, and the appliance can produce both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages by selectively introducing pressurized gas, allowing for a range of carbonation levels from 0 to 5 volumes of CO2, and maintain the beverage quality over extended periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional beverage dispensing systems use separate machines for different beverage types, then beverage variety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage dispensing system is designed as a universal machine that can produce multiple beverage types (carbonated and non-carbonated) using a single appliance. The system accepts different beverage containers and selectively introduces pressurized gas to create various beverage characteristics, eliminating the need for separate machines for different beverage types while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic control of pressurized gas introduction to adapt the beverage output characteristics. By selectively controlling the amount of pressurized gas introduced during dispensing, the system can dynamically adjust between carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, allowing one machine to serve multiple beverage types through variable operation modes.
2Ease of manufacture
If beverage containers are exposed to light and oxygen, then ease of manufacture is improved, but beverage quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage container is designed to maintain an inert or protected atmosphere inside the container to prevent oxygen ingress and light exposure to the beverage material. This protective environment preserves beverage quality during storage and dispensing, preventing degradation from oxidation and light exposure while allowing for simpler container manufacturing compared to fully sealed complex systems.
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 enables the production of a wide variety of beverages with controlled carbonation levels and extended shelf life, reducing the need for multiple machines and improving beverage quality by preventing light and oxygen exposure.
Implementation Method 1
The beverage container is configured to shield the beverage material from light ingress
Implementation Method 2
The beverage appliance includes a pressurized gas supply selectively combinable with the beverage material to produce the beverage as one of a carbonated beverage or a substantially non-carbonated beverage
Implementation Method 3
The beverage produced by the beverage appliance can have a target carbonation level of between substantially 0 volumes of CO2 and 5 volumes of CO2
Implementation Method 4
The beverage appliance includes a cooling system. The chilled precursor supply can be maintained at a temperature below an ambient temperature by the cooling system
Implementation Method 5
The opaque layer can define a pressure barrier between the beverage material and an external environment. The pressure barrier can be configured to resist oxygen ingress up to a pressure differential of 40 psi
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein is a beverage system that is configured to produce beverages having different characteristics, such as different levels of carbonation including producing substantially non-carbonated beverages and carbonated beverages with a single machine. The beverage system includes a beverage appliance and a beverage container. The beverage container includes a beverage material, which can include a flavoring ingredient for a target beverage. The beverage appliance is used to access the beverage material from the beverage container and produce the target beverage. The beverage appliance and beverage container are adaptable to produce the target beverage having any of a range of carbonation levels or other characteristics.