Regulator Cap Assembly for Beverage Carbonation Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beverage dispensers face issues with carbonated beverages going flat due to exposure to atmospheric pressure, leading to loss of carbonation and flavor degradation, and current pressure regulators are complex, difficult to assemble, and prone to defects that can result in catastrophic failures.
Innovation Solution
A portable beverage dispenser with a regulator cap assembly that includes a variable pressure regulator and a gas reservoir, which seals the vessel from the outside environment, allowing for controlled pressure adjustment and limiting oxygen exposure, integrated into a cap assembly that conceals the gas reservoir and features a user-selectable pressure setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a beverage bottle is sealed with a simple cap, then the bottle structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the beverage becomes flat due to exposure to atmospheric pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The gas reservoir is nested within the cap assembly structure, with the reservoir positioned inside the cap body. This integration allows the cap to function both as a simple closure and as a pressurization system, maintaining carbonation without requiring a separate external pressure source.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the sealing function of the cap with the pressurization function by integrating a gas reservoir and pressure regulator directly into the cap assembly. This combination eliminates the need for separate pressurization equipment while preserving beverage carbonation.
2Measurement precision
If multiple pressure regulator components are used, then pressure control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases and assembly becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pressure regulator components including the pressure regulator valve, gas reservoir, and sealing elements are merged into a single integrated cap assembly. This consolidation maintains precise pressure control while simplifying the overall structure and reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it seals the beverage bottle, stores pressurized gas, regulates pressure output, and provides a dispensing mechanism. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated components for each function, reducing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If a gas reservoir is integrated into the cap assembly, then oxygen exposure is limited and carbonation is preserved, but the cap assembly design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The gas reservoir is nested within the cap assembly structure, with the reservoir positioned inside the cap body and connected to the beverage bottle through integrated valve mechanisms. This nesting approach limits oxygen exposure to preserve carbonation while incorporating the reservoir into the existing cap design framework.
4Reliability
If pressure regulator components are tightly assembled, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing defects can cause catastrophic failures
Solution Approach 1:
The design incorporates pressure relief mechanisms and distributed sealing elements that prevent catastrophic failures by providing alternative pathways for pressure release and reducing stress concentration points. These protective features are built into the cap assembly structure before use.
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 solution effectively preserves the carbonation of beverages by maintaining a controlled pressure environment, reducing oxygen exposure, and simplifies the design and assembly of pressure regulators, enhancing safety and usability while preventing catastrophic failures.
Implementation Method 1
A compressed gas reservoir is received into a lower portion of a cap body. The compressed gas reservoir is pierced such that gas contained in the compressed gas reservoir flows from the compressed gas reservoir into a high-pressure cavity.
Implementation Method 2
A regulator mechanism is provided in the cap body. The regulator mechanism controls a flow of the gas from the high-pressure cavity into a low-pressure cavity in the cap body.
Implementation Method 3
A diaphragm is positioned in the cap body between the low-pressure cavity and an ambient pressure cavity. Movement of the diaphragm in response to a pressure difference between the low-pressure cavity and the ambient pressure cavity controls the regulator mechanism.
Implementation Method 4
A piston is configured to prevent a flow of the gas from the high-pressure cavity. A compression spring is configured to apply a compression force to the piston in a first direction to a piston seat, wherein the compression force prevents the flow of the gas from the high-pressure cavity.
Implementation Method 5
A portable beverage dispenser with a regulator cap assembly that includes a variable pressure regulator and a gas reservoir, which seals the vessel from the outside environment, allowing for controlled pressure adjustment and limiting oxygen exposure
Data Source
AI summary
A system for dispensing a beverage from a pressurized beverage container, the system including an interface having a housing, a tap assembly, a dip tube, a carry handle, and a receiving section. The housing is configured to fasten to a neck portion of a beverage container. The tap assembly rigidly extends from the housing and has a tap handle and a passageway configured to allow a beverage to pass through the tap assembly and out a dispensing end of the tap assembly when the tap handle is activated. The dip tube extends from a first side of the housing and is coupled to the passageway of the tap assembly. The carry handle extends from the housing. The receiving section is configured to receive a pressure regulator and includes an opening extending from a second side of the housing through the first side of the housing.