Needle-Based Sparkling Beverage Extractor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for dispensing beverages from sealed containers, such as sparkling wine bottles, often require removal of the closure, leading to exposure to air and potential damage, and fail to maintain carbonation effectively during multiple extractions.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a needle to penetrate the closure of a sparkling wine bottle without removing it, allowing for multiple extractions while maintaining a seal, and includes a reservoir to hold dispensed beverage under pressure, with controlled gas introduction to preserve carbonation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the closure is removed to dispense beverage, then the beverage can be accessed easily, but the closure is damaged and air enters the bottle compromising beverage quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the necessary function (beverage dispensing) through a needle penetration method, leaving the closure itself intact and reusable. The needle extracts beverage through a small puncture that allows the closure to reseal, separating the dispensing function from closure removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle acts as an intermediary tool that enables beverage extraction without requiring closure removal. It mediates between the need to access beverage and the need to preserve closure integrity, creating a temporary passage that maintains overall seal functionality.
2Productivity
If the closure is removed for multiple extractions, then beverage can be dispensed repeatedly, but the closure deteriorates and loses sealing capability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts beverage through needle penetration rather than removing the closure, allowing the closure to be reused multiple times without cumulative damage. Each extraction removes only the beverage through a temporary needle passage, preserving the closure's structural integrity for future use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for multiple extractions by using a closure-friendly access method from the beginning. The needle penetration approach is established as the preliminary and ongoing method, preventing progressive closure degradation that would occur with repeated removal and reinsertion of closures.
3Ease of operation
If air is introduced into the bottle during extraction, then beverage can be removed easily, but the beverage quality deteriorates due to oxidation
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains an inert or protected atmosphere within the bottle during extraction. By using needle penetration with controlled flow and potential inert gas backflushing, the beverage remains protected from oxygen exposure, preventing oxidation while allowing easy removal through the needle.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle serves as a controlled intermediary passage that limits air ingress during beverage extraction. It provides a restricted pathway that can be managed to minimize oxygen contact, unlike open closure removal which exposes the entire bottle interior to air.
4Ease of operation
If a needle is inserted through the closure at an angle, then access is achieved without removing the wire cage and cap, but the needle path becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from vertical needle insertion (along the bottle's longitudinal axis) to angular insertion (at 5-70 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis). This dimensional change in insertion angle allows the needle to pass through the closure while avoiding the wire cage and cap structures that would otherwise block access.
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 extractions of sparkling beverages without damaging the closure or introducing air, while maintaining carbonation levels by using a needle to access the bottle and a reservoir to store and dispense the beverage under pressure.
Implementation Method 1
pressure inside of the container may drive the flow of sparkling beverage through the at least one needle and from the at least one valve
Implementation Method 2
The reservoir may be arranged to hold dispensed beverage under pressure
Implementation Method 3
Prior to withdrawing the needle, pressurized gas may be introduced into the container, e.g., at a level suitable to help maintain a desired carbonation for subsequent consumption
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for dispensing sparkling and other pressurized beverages from a container. Sparkling wine and other beverages may be dispensed without removing a cork or other closure. One or more needles may be inserted through the closure and sparkling beverage dispensed through the one or more needles. The one or more needles may be inserted at an angle to the vertical or axis of the bottle opening in which the closure is positioned, e.g., to avoid contact with a metal retainer on the closure. Dispensed beverage may be directed to a pressurized reservoir to help maintain or recover carbonation prior to dispensing.