# US 2023/0053940 A1 · Beverage dispenser > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0053940 A1 - Document ID: US20230053940A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/795,321 - Filed: 2021-01-29 - Published: 2023-02-23 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-31 - Assignees: Flo-Smart Beverage Solutions IP Pty Ltd - Applicants: Flo-Smart Beverage Solutions IP Pty Ltd - Inventors: Conal HARTNETT; Matthew James DALE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230053940A1 ## CPC - A47J 31/4482: {Details allowing to adapt the beverage-making apparatus to the size of the brewing vessel or the beverage container, e.g. with adjustable support for the beverage container or adjustable hot water outlet} - B67D 1/1236: {comprising means for detecting the size of vessels to be filled} - B67D 1/0004: {the beverage being stored in a container, e.g. bottle, cartridge, bag-in-box, bowl} - B67D 1/0857: {Cooling arrangements (cooling systems per se F25B)} - B67D 1/0867: {the cooling fluid being a liquid} - B67D 1/0888: {Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)} - B67D 1/0894: {for the vessel to be filled} - B67D 1/124: {the flow being started or stopped by means actuated by the vessel to be filled, e.g. by switches, weighing} - B67D 1/06: Mountings or arrangements of dispensing apparatus in or on shop or bar counters (shop or bar counters per se A47F9/00) - B67D 2210/00031: Housing - A47J: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES - B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F) ## Abstract A beverage dispenser for dispensing a beverage into a vessel, the beverage dispenser including a vessel-receiving region in which the vessel is locatable for receiving beverage; and a sensor arrangement for providing signals based on which a distance between one or more wall portions of the vessel, when located in the vessel-receiving region, and the sensor arrangement can be determined, wherein a volume of beverage to be dispensed into the vessel can be determined based on the determined distance between one or more wall portions of the vessel and the sensor arrangement. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A beverage dispenser for dispensing a beverage into a vessel, the beverage dispenser including: a vessel-receiving region in which the vessel is locatable for receiving beverage; and a sensor arrangement for providing signals based on which a distance between one or more wall portions of the vessel, when located in the vessel-receiving region, and the sensor arrangement can be determined, wherein a volume of beverage to be dispensed into the vessel can be determined based on the determined distance between one or more wall portions of the vessel and the sensor arrangement. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The beverage dispenser of claim 1 including: a body having a first portion and a second portion spaced apart from the first portion, a wall of the vessel, when located in the vessel-receiving region, being abuttable against the first and second portions, the sensor arrangement is configured to provide said signals when the vessel abuts the first and second portions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The beverage dispenser of claim 2, wherein the sensor arrangement includes a sensor locatable between the first and second portions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The beverage dispenser of claim 2, wherein the body includes the sensor arrangement. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2, 3, 4) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the body has an elongate channel having a substantially U-shaped cross-section with two elongate edges, one elongate edge corresponding to the first portion and the other elongate edge corresponding to the second portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2, 3, 4, 5) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the body has a forward-facing surface on which the first and second portions are located, the forward-facing surface facing the vessel when vessel abuts the first and second portions, wherein a distance between the first and second portions is substantially constant along a width of the forward-facing surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sensor arrangement includes a sensor for measuring distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 1 to 7, further including a controller, wherein upon detecting that the vessel is in the vessel-receiving region, the controller is configured to operate the dispenser to dispense beverage into the vessel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The beverage dispenser of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to operate the dispenser to dispense the volume beverage into the vessel based on the determined distance between the sensor and the wall portion of the vessel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 1 to 9, further including two or more nozzles including a first nozzle for dispensing a first beverage and a second nozzle for dispensing a second beverage, and two or more beverage-conveying tubes portions including a first tube portion for conveying the first beverage from a first beverage container to the first nozzle and a second tube portion for conveying the second beverage from a second beverage container to the second nozzle, the first tube portion being different from the second tube portion. ### Claim 11 A beverage dispenser for dispensing different beverages, the beverage dispenser including: two or more nozzles including a first nozzle for dispensing a first beverage and a second nozzle for dispensing a second beverage, and two or more beverage-conveying tubes portions including a first tube portion for conveying the first beverage from a first beverage container to the first nozzle and a second tube portion for conveying the second beverage from a second beverage container to the second nozzle, the first tube portion being different from the second tube portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The beverage dispenser of claim 11, further including a first vessel-receiving region in which a vessel is locatable for receiving the first beverage from the first nozzle and for receiving the second beverage from the second nozzle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The beverage dispenser of claim 12, wherein the two or more nozzles include a third nozzle for dispensing beverage. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The beverage dispenser of claim 13, wherein the third nozzle is for dispensing one of the first beverage from the first beverage container or the second beverage from the second beverage container. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The beverage dispenser of claim 13, wherein the third nozzle is for dispensing a third beverage, and wherein the beverage-conveying tubes includes a third tube portion for conveying the third beverage from a third beverage container, the third tube portion being different from the first and second tube portions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13, 14, 15) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the two or more nozzles include a fourth nozzle for dispensing beverage. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The beverage dispenser of claim 16, wherein the fourth nozzle is for dispensing the other of the first beverage from the first beverage container or the second beverage from the second beverage from the second beverage container. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The beverage dispenser of claim 17, wherein the fourth nozzle is for dispensing a fourth beverage, and wherein the beverage-conveying tubes includes a fourth tube portion for conveying the fourth beverage from a fourth beverage container, the fourth tube portions being different from the first, second, and third tube portions. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16, 17, 18) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 16 to 18, further including a second vessel-receiving region in which a vessel is locatable for receiving the beverage from the third nozzle and the beverage from the fourth nozzle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The beverage dispenser of claim 19, wherein the beverage(s) is/are simultaneously dispensable in the first vessel-receiving region and in the second vessel-receiving region. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 11 to 20, further including a sensor arrangement for detecting if a vessel is in proximity to at least one of the two or more nozzles, wherein, in response to the sensor detecting the vessel in proximity to the at least one of the two or more nozzles, the at least one of the two or more nozzles is operable to dispense beverage into the vessel. ### Claim 22 A cooling system for a beverage dispenser, the beverage dispenser for dispensing beverage from a beverage container via a nozzle, the beverage dispenser including a beverage-conveying tube for conveying the beverage from the beverage container to the nozzle, the cooling system including: a cooling tube arrangement for cooling, or maintaining a temperature of, the beverage flowing through the beverage-conveying tube, the cooling tube arrangement including one or more cooling tube portions through which a cooling fluid is passable, the one or more cooling tube portions being locatable adjacent the beverage conveying tube or being adapted to receive the beverage conveying tube. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The cooling system of claim 22, further including a reservoir for storing the cooling fluid, the one or more cooling tube portions being in fluid communication with the container such that the cooling fluid from the container is passable through the one or more cooling tube portions. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The cooling system of claim 23, further including a pump for circulating the cooling fluid from the reservoir, through the one or more cooling tube portions to cool the at least a portion of the beverage tube, and back to the reservoir. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23, 24) The cooling system of claim 23 or 24, wherein the reservoir contains a heat exchanger for cooling the cooling fluid. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22, 23, 24, 25) A beverage dispenser including: a nozzle for dispensing beverage from a beverage container; a beverage-conveying tube for conveying the beverage from the beverage container to the nozzle; and the cooling system of any one of claims 22 to 25. ### Claim 27 A control system for a beverage dispenser, the control system being configured to: receive an input, from a user, representing a number of portions of beverage desired by the user; determine a volume of beverage required to be dispensed based on the received input; and operate a pump of a beverage dispenser to dispense the volume of beverage via the nozzle of the dispenser. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) A beverage dispenser including: a nozzle for dispensing beverage from a beverage container; a pump operable to dispense beverage from the nozzle; and the control system of claim 27. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27) The beverage dispenser of any one of claims 1 to 21, further including at least one of the cooling system of claims 22 to 25 and the control system of claim 27.