Beverage cooling and dispensing apparatus

Apparatus for storing and dispensing pre-mixed carbonated beverages in bottles normally capped to preserve the carbonation, comprising:

• enclosure means including a region for receiving at least one bottle of carbonated beverage;
• bottle connector means selectively attachable to the bottle in place of the bottle cap, said bottle connector means providing first and second fluid passages into the bottle;
• flow connector means associated with said enclosure means to detachably receive said bottle connector means in fluid flow connection with a first one of said fluid passages;
• a source of pressurized gas associated with said enclosure means and operative to supply the gas to said flow connector means for flow communication to said first flow passage in said attached bottle connector means and thence to the bottle, at a pressure to maintain the carbonation of the pre-mixed beverage in the bottle;
• said source of pressurized fluid comprising a supply of gas at a relatively high pressure greater than the gas pressure supplied to the bottle;
• means receiving said gas at high pressure and reducing the pressure to a relatively reduced pressure greater than the gas pressure supplied to the bottle;
• a fluid manifold having an inlet and an outlet;
• valve means interconnecting said fluid manifold inlet with the gas at said relatively reduced pressure;
• pressure responsive means responsive to gas pressure in aid manifold and selectively operating said valve means to maintain said reduced pressure in the manifold within a certain range of pressures;
• means connecting the outlet of said manifold to said flow connector means, for flow communication to said flow passage;
• and
• dispensing valve means operatively connected in flow relation with the second said fluid passage and selectively openable to dispense a quantity of liquid from the bottle,
• whereby the volume above the beverage in the bottle remains under gas pressure sufficient to maintain the carbonation in solution in the remaining beverage and to maintain substantially uniform flow delivery from the dispensing valve means.

Apparatus for storing and dispensing pre-mixed carbonated beverages in bottles normally capped to preserve the carbonation, comprising:

• enclosure means including a region for receiving at least one bottle of carbonated beverage;
• bottle connector means selectively attachable to the bottle in place of the bottle cap, said bottle connector means providing first and second fluid passages into the bottle;
• flow connector means associated with said enclosure means to detachably receive said bottle connector means in fluid flow connection with a first one of said fluid passages;
• a source of pressurized gas associated with said enclosure means and operative to supply the gas to said flow connector means for flow communication to said first flow passage in said attached bottle connector means and thence to the bottle, at a pressure to maintain the carbonation of the pre-mixed beverage in the bottle;
• dispensing valve means operatively connected in flow relation with the second said fluid passage and selectively openable to dispense a quantity of liquid from the bottle, whereby the volume above the beverage in the bottle remains under gas pressure sufficient to maintain the carbonation in solution in the remaining beverage and to maintain substantially uniform flow delivery from the dispensing valve means;
• said bottle connector means being received at a lower portion of said region within the enclosure means, so that the bottle attached to the bottle connector means is inverted in said region;
• a one-way valve in line with said one flow passage of the bottle connector means to permit pressurized gas flow through said on flow passage and into the inverted bottle, but to prevent gas flow from the bottle through said one flow passage;
• said dispensing valve means being connected to said flow connector means so that a beverage flow path through said second fluid passage to the dispensing valve means is established when said bottle connector means is received by the flow connector means;
• a valve associated with said bottle connector means in line with said beverage flow path and normally closed so as to prevent the beverage from flowing out said bottle connector means when the bottle is inverted before said bottle connector means is received by said flow connector means;
• and
• means associated with said flow connector means to open said valve in the beverage flow path when said bottle connector means engages said flow connector,
• so that the beverage in the inverted bottle can thereafter flow to the dispensing valve means.