Dry ice dispensing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides for dry-ice dispensing including a nozzle arranged to receive liquid carbon dioxide at an inlet and to apply a decrease in pressure to the liquid carbon dioxide for delivery of carbon dioxide gas at an outlet and for forming dry-ice, the said nozzle having a passageway extending from the inlet to the outlet and configured to increase the pressure of the liquid carbon dioxide received at the inlet prior to applying the said pressure decrease, and also a dry-ice delivery tube arranged to receive carbon dioxide gas and liquid carbon dioxide from a dry-ice delivery nozzle and having an elongate passageway configured to at least part-control formation of a carbon dioxide gas phase and for controlled formation of dry-ice within the tube and a dry-ice delivery diffuser having a delivery aperture through which carbon dioxide gas and dry ice can be delivered to a target receptacle from a delivery tube, and the diffuser having venting apertures dimensioned to control escape of carbon dioxide gas from the target receptacle, and thus to control pressure within the target receptacle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.