US2135821A - Beverage dispensing bar - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 8, 1938. s. D. LEVINGS 2,135,821

BEVERAGE DiSPENSING BAR Filed oct. 15, 1954' ZSheets-Sheet 1 fiervwa J Nov. 8, 1938. s. D. LEVINGS BEVERAGE DISPENSING BAR Filed Oct. 15, 1934 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,135,821 BEVERAGE DISPENSING BAR Sherburne D. Levings, Winnetka, Ill., assignor to The Bastian-Blessing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application October 15, 1934, Serial No. 748,297

2 Claims.

The invention relates in general to beverage dispensing equipment and more particularly to a combined water carbonating and beverage dispensing bar.

In cafes, clubs, hotels and the like there is a large demand for plain carbonated water in ordinary beverage bottles and in siphon bottles. Normally the carbonated Water in the beverage bottles is purchased by the case, and the freight and handling charges, which constitute a large part of the cost of the carbonated water, render the same expensive. The siphon bottles, which contain the carbonated water under pressure,

must be sent out to be refilled and this also materially increases the cost far beyond the cost of the carbonated water itself. There is also a large demand, in places of the character described, for beverages made in large part of carbonated 'water.

It is the primary object of the invention therefore to reduce the cost of bottled carbonated water, and to enable a fresher, more sparkling beverage to be supplied by providing a carbonating and dispensing bar, for manufacturing and manufacturing means more effectively binding the gas and novel dispensing means discharging the carbonated water with a minimum of agita: tion and thus a minimum loss of gas.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevational view of a bottling bar embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the bar shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the bar in Fig. 1, some parts of the apparatus contained within the bar being shown in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a View looking from the left in Fig. l

. with the bar partially broken away better to show the water supply and drain connections.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the siphon filler with a siphon bottle in position to befllled.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, a preferred arrangement and construction, resulting in a bar of the character described which is sufiiciently small to be employed in cafes, hotels, and the like, is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail hereinafter.

Herein the bar is comprised in large part of a cabinet or casing l substantially rectangular in cross section and preferably constructed of wood sheathed in stainless steel (not shown) to give it an attractive appearance, to facilitate cleaning and to withstand without practical deterioration the action of the gas in carbonated water which may spill upon it. It is supported on adjustable feet I I to raise the bar off of the floor and to permit leveling thereof, and the top H! of the casing is of a height to provide a convenient working surface for the attendant of the bar. Extending upwardly and in line with the front of the cabinet is a stainless steel covered wall supporting at its top a shelf H! which provides a service counter for patrons of the bar, or waiters, and also serves in part to conceal the top or working surface of the casing.

In the lower right-hand corner of the casing, (see Fig. 3) is a compartment l3 closed by a removable louver panel and housing a carbonating machine or unit, generally designated l5. Generally the carbonating unit comprises a motor-driven pump 16 operating to produce carbonated water by combining by pressure measured amounts of water and carbon dioxide and discharging the same into a pipe I! leading to a cooler generally designated I8. Pipes I6 and i6" extend outwardly of the casing for convenient connection to a carbon dioxide and water supply. The compartment I3 is preferably lined with a sound absorbing material [9 to deaden the noise of the carbonating unit. A convenient electrical connection for the unit I is provided at l5 and an automatic pressure control l5" responsive to the pressure in the cooler governs the operation of the carbonator unit. The specific construction of the control l5" forms no part of this invention and any well known construction may be employed.

At the left endof the casing is an icing compartment extending the full height of the casing, and housing the cooler l8. To provide a reserve supply of carbonated water under heavy demand and to obtain a more effective binding of the gas the cooler preferably comprises a plurality of cylinders l8 and coils 18" extending around the compartment and connected between the carbonator and the cylinders 18'. In this water in ordinary beverage bottles or in siphon bottles, and to dispense mixed carbonated water beverages by the glass or the bottle. To that end the cooler I8 is connected by a pipe 23, which extends through the top of the last cylinder (see Fig. 2) to a point near the bottom thereof, to branch lines 24 and 25, one of which leads to a siphon bottle filler 26 of well known construction. The other branch leads to a soda head 21, of the type disclosed and claimed in a copending application of William C. Buttner and Sherburne D. Levings, Serial No. 731,943, filed June 22, 1934, since issued as Patent No. 2,055,923, bearing date of September 29, 1936, which is designed to discharge carbonated water under atmospheric pressure into a glass or a bottle with a minimum loss of carbon dioxide. The siphon filler is equipped with a pivotally mounted operating handle 26 and the soda head 21 has an operating handle 27 and a shifting tube 2'!" fully described in the above mentioned application. The siphon bottle filler and the soda head are mounted on the counter |2 substantially centrally thereof for convenient use by the attendant of the bar. A valve 28 may be connected in the line 23 at a point within the icing compartment where it is readily accessible to cut oif the supply to the siphon and soda heads.

Syrup jars 29 provided with the usual pumps 3|] and containing syrup forming the base of carbonated Water beverages are conveniently located at the left end of the bar. Herein they are positioned over and extend downwardly into the icing compartment 20 so as to require no additional space, and in addition the syrup is kept at r a low temperature to prevent spoiling.

Positioned above the carbonating unit compartment I3 is the means for cleansing the bottles to be filled with carbonated water or a carbonated water beverage. This means includes a washing or rinsing sink 3| and a sterilizing sink 32, each supplied with hot or cold water from a swivel faucet 33 mounted between the sinks and connected .by suitable piping 34 and 35, best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, with a hot and a cold water source respectively. Extending upwardly from the bottom of the washing sink 3| and rising a substantial distance above the level of the water therein, are two automatic internal bottle rinsers 36. These rinsers are connected to the cold water supply, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and are operable to rinse bottles internally when they are placed thereon upside down and pressed down against valve actuating devices 36'. The washing sink 3| is also equipped with a continuous, running-water flushing spout 31 connected to the cold water supply and controlled by a valve 38. The spout discharges into the sink above the level of water therein to comply with health regulations. A bottle rack 50 is provided for supporting the bottles in draining position over the sterilizing sink.

The sinks 3| and 32 as well as the icing compartment 20 are equipped with suitable means for disposing of excess Water. Each of the wells is'provided' with an overflow outlet 39 in the rear wall and a stopper drain 40 in the bottom connected to a common drain pipe 4|. The icing compartment is equipped with an overflow pipe 42 and a bee-hive drain 43 also discharging to the pipe 4|.

A bottle capper 44 is mounted on the top of the casing at the extreme right, and has a vertically movable capping head 44 operable by a handle 44" for convenient operation by the right hand of the attendant of the bar. Caps for these bottles may be contained in a box 45 under the counter I2.

To install this novel bar it is merely necessary to provide (1) an electric current supply, (2) hot and cold water supplies, (3) a carbon dioxide supply and (4) a drain connection. These are more or less standard adjuncts of any bar or soda fountain room, so that installation is relatively simple and permits the location of the bar at the most advantageous position.

After installation and connection, and .upon filling the cooler with ice, the bar is ready for operation. The CO2 gas is then turned on and run through the machine l and cooler |8,.the soda head 21 being preferably opened for a time so as to permit the gas to drive out any air. The water supply is then turned on and thereafter the switch to the carbonator motor is closed. The carbonator is preferably provided with an automatic pressure control so that when the pressure in the cooler builds up to a predetermined point, generally about 120 pounds per square inch, the carbonator motor will stop and will not be started again until the pressure drops to approximately 100 pounds per square inch.

In order to refill siphon bottles, it is merely necessary for the attendant to insert the discharge pipe of a siphon bottle into the siphon bottle filler 26, placing the handle on the siphon bottle under the handle 26 on the siphon bottle filler as shown in Fig. 5. Then by pressing down on the handle 26 of the filler the attendant simultaneously opens the siphon bottle valve and opens the spring closed valve in the siphon bottle filler so that the carbonated water passesinto the bottle under full pressure. When the bottle is suitably filled, it is merely necessary to relieve the pressure on the handle 26 of the siphon bottle filler, whereuponthe spring pressed valve of the siphon filler closes and simultaneously the valve in the bottle closes leaving the bottle free to be withdrawn. Thus with a single and extremely simple operation the siphon bottle is filled.

In filling ordinary bottles of carbonated water, it is necessary first to sterilize the bottles and then cool and rinse them. Although in filling such bottles with carbonated water it is necessary to perform a number of operations, in the form of the invention illustrated herein these operations may be accomplished by an attendant practically without moving from a fixed position in back of the bar. Thus the bottles are first sterilized in the sink 32, after which they are turned upside down in the drain rack and permitted to drain and cool. When drained and partially cooled, they may be placedin the rinsing sink where the final cooling takes place. Prior to the filling operation, the bottles are removed from the rinsing sink and placed upside down over the interior rinsers 36 which are operated merely by pressing downwardly on the bottle. These thoroughly flush the inside of the bottles and prepare them for the filling/operation.

The soda head 2! is of such a character that when the handle 21 is pulled down as far as it will go, carbonated water under high pressure fills the container of the head with a quantity of water sufiicient to fill the size of bottle in use. The neck of the bottle to be filled is then placed over the discharge tube at the bottom of the container, whereupon by pushing the handle 2'! up the pressure in the container is relieved and the carbonated water automatically flows from the container into the bottle at atmospheric pressure. As soon as the bottle is filled the flow of carbonated water may be stopped by pulling the handle 21' downwardly again, thereby refilling the container for the next bottle filling operation. If the bottle is to be filled with plain carbonated water, it is now merely necessary to set the bottle on the capper stand and cap the bottle immediately. If the bottle is to be filled with a beverage other than plain carbonated water, the bottle should be filled so as to allow room for the syrup so that when the syrup is added the bottle will be filled. In this case the neck of the bottle is placed under the proper syrup spout and the syrup plunger given a complete downward stroke. By adding the syrup to the carbonated water (as distinguished from placing the syrup in the bottle first), excessive foaming is effectively prevented. Upon placing the syrup in the bottle the bottle may be immediately capped and then shaken to mix the syrup with the water.

The invention, in the form illustrated, not only provides a self contained bar of relatively small size which is capable of manufacturing and dispensing carbonated water, but also provides such a device furnishing a fresher and more sparkling water. The reason for this is believed readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The carbonated water, upon leaving the carbonating machine wherein the gas is combined with the water at approximately room temperature and at machine pressure, passes through the cooler where it is cooled to a temperature suitable for dispensing purposes when intended for immediate consumption. The cooler is preferably de signed so that when properly filled the production capacity of the bar can be maintained with a desirable temperature for the carbonated water not exceeding 40 F., assuming that the incoming water temperature is or less. By storing the carbonated water in the cooler preparatory to its discharge into bottles, the maximum gas saturation is obtained since the colder the water the greater the volume of gas which will be absorbed.

The invention lends itself to incorporation in a unit of relatively small size such as may be conveniently installed in cafes, hotels, etc. A bar having a production capacity of between 10 and 15 gallons of carbonated water per hour, properly cooled, has been successfully constructed in accordance with the disclosure herein, in a unit approximately four feet long so that an attendant, operating the bar, can readily reach the various portions thereof with little or no movement from side to side.

I claim as my invention:

1. A compact carbonated water manufacturing and dispensing bar for use in cafes, hotels and the like comprising, in combination, a cabinet, a carbonating machine positioned in the lower portion of said cabinet and operable to combine measured quantities of gas and water, a cooler in said cabinet for reducing the temperature of the carbonated water and for providing a reserve supply, said cooler having a conduit connected to said machine so that the carbonated water therefrom passes directly into the cooler, means responsive to pressure in said cooler controlling the carbonating machine to maintain a predetermined pressure, a carbonated water discharging means mounted on the upper portion of the cabinet, and a conduit connecting said discharging means with said cooler at a point below the top thereof.

2. A compact, self-contained, carbonated beverage manufacturing and dispensing bar comprising a cabinet, a carbonating machine housed in said cabinet operating to combine carbon dioxide gas and water, a cooling compartment in the cabinet, a carbonated water storing and cooling means housed in said compartment and connected to said carbonating machine to receive the discharge therefrom, containers for beverage syrup, pumps for the containers manually operable to inject beverage syrup into a beverage vessel directly and in the quantity desired, said containers extending into the cooling compartment to be maintained at the same temperature as the carbonated water, and a carbonated water dispensing headmounted on the cabinet and connected to said storing and cooling means, said dispensing head being operable to reduce the pressure of the carbonated water to atmospheric pressure prior to discharge of the carbonated water from the head into a vessel to avoid excessive effervescence in the filling of the vessel.

SHERBURNE D. LEVINGS.

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