Apparatus and method for dispensing purified and carbonated liquids

An apparatus for dispensing a purified and carbonated liquid, comprising:

• a source for supplying a liquid to be purified and carbonated and fluid conduit associated with said source;
• purification means for receiving and purifying the liquid conducted from said source, said purification means having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, said liquid outlet having a fitting associated therewith adapted to separate a liquid flow from said liquid outlet into at least two flow components, wherein one of said at least two flow components is conducted to a tap and a second of said at least two flow components is supplied to a downstream fluid conduit;
• a carbonating gas source for supplying a carbonating gas, said carbonating gas source having gas conduit associated therewith;
• differential pressure regulator means coupled to said carbonating gas source and to said fluid conduit associated with said source of liquid for sensing a pressure in said fluid conduit and actuating a flow of said carbonating gas from said carbonating gas source;
• carbonation means for receiving the purified liquid from said downstream fluid conduit associated with said purification means, receiving said carbonating gas from said carbonating gas source supply and charging said purified liquid with said carbonating gas, said carbonation means comprising
• a. a hollow outer enclosure having a plurality of apertures passing therethrough comprising at least a carbonating gas inlet aperture, a liquid inlet aperture and a carbonated liquid outlet aperture,
• b. a carbonation diffuser comprising a generally tubular member having gas-permeable side portions thereof and a gas-impermeable bottom portion thereof, said carbonation diffuser being concentrically disposed within said hollow outer enclosure, and
• c. a plurality of releasable couplings associated with each of said plurality of apertures in said hollow tubular member;
• turbulation means, disposed downstream from and in fluid flow communication with said carbonation means, said turbulation means being for imparting flow turbulence to a flow of purified and carbonated liquid received from said carbonation means;
• reservoir means, disposed downstream from and in fluid flow communication with said turbulation means, said reservoir means being for retaining and dispensing said purified and carbonated liquid.

An apparatus for carbonating a liquid, comprising:

• an outer enclosure member having at least an inlet for a carbonating gas flow, an inlet for a fluid to be carbonated and an outlet for exhausting a carbonated fluid therefrom;
• at least two chambers defined within said outer enclosure member, each of said chambers being in fluid flow communication with another of said chambers;
• means for receiving and diffusing a carbonating gas flow into a fluid to be carbonated, said means being disposed within one of said at least two chambers and in fluid flow communication with each of said inlet for a carbonating gas flow and said inlet for a liquid to be carbonated;
• and
• means for imparting flow turbulence to the flow of the carbonated liquid, said means for imparting flow turbulence being disposed within another of said at least two chambers and in fluid flow communication with said outlet for exhausting carbonated liquid therefrom.

A method for dispensing a purified and carbonated liquid, comprising the steps of:

• introducing a supply of a liquid to a water purification unit;
• providing a source of a carbonating gas and associated gas conduit;
• purifying said supply of liquid in said water purification unit;
• splitting a flow of said purified water as it exits said water purification unit, into at least two flow components;
• providing a carbonation chamber having a outer enclosure, a carbonation diffuser disposed within said outer enclosure and a hollow tubular member co-axially interdisposed between said carbonation diffuser and said outer enclosure defining thereby a flow chamber between said carbonation diffuser and said hollow tubular member;
• conducting at least one of said at least two flow components to said carbonation chamber;
• conducting a second of said at least two flow components to a tap;
• controlling the flow of said at least one of said at least two flow components of said purified water into said carbonation chamber;
• simultaneously introducing a flow of said carbonating gas into said carbonation diffuser and a flow of said at least one of said at least two flow components into the flow chamber between said carbonation diffuser and said hollow tubular member, thereby charging said flow of liquid with said carbonating gas;
• providing a turbulation chamber comprising an outer enclosure having at least a carbonated liquid inlet and a carbonated liquid outlet associated therewith and a hollow tubular member disposed within said outer enclosure, said hollow tubular member having a plurality of apertures passing through surfaces thereof;
• conducting said carbonated liquid away from said carbonation chamber and into said turbulation chamber such that said flow of carbonated liquid passes through said plurality of apertures in said hollow tubular member causing a turbulent flow within said outer enclosure of said turbulation chamber;
• providing a carbonated liquid reservoir having an inlet and an outlet thereof;
• conducting said carbonated liquid away from said turbulation chamber and into said reservoir for storage;
• and
• dispensing said stored carbonated liquid from said reservoir by activating a carbonated liquid tap.

An apparatus for dispensing a purified and carbonated liquid, comprising:

• an external liquid source for supplying a liquid to be purified and carbonated;
• a carbonating gas source supply containing a carbonating gas;
• purification means for receiving and purifying the liquid supplied from the source, said purification means being disposed downstream from and in fluid flow communication with said liquid source;
• and
• a carbonator comprising an enclosure defining an interior carbonation chamber and having a purified liquid inlet, in fluid flow communication with said purification means, said enclosure being provided at a first end thereof with a carbonating gas inlet, in communication with said carbonating gas source supply, and at a second opposite end thereof provided with a carbonated liquid outlet in fluid flow communication with said interior carbonation chamber, said carbonator further having a carbonation diffuser communicating with said carbonating gas inlet and positioned such that a flow of purified liquid received in said interior carbonation chamber through said purified liquid inlet is directed toward said carbonation diffuser.

A method for dispensing a purified and carbonated liquid, comprising the steps of:

• providing purification means for purifying a liquid, said purification means having a fluid inlet and fluid outlet thereof;
• providing carbonation means for charging a liquid with a carbonating gas;
• providing a carbonating gas source and associated gas conduit from said carbonating gas source to said carbonation means and in communication therewith;
• introducing a flow of liquid into said purification means;
• purifying said flow of liquid in said water purification means;
• conducting said flow of purified liquid away from said purification means;
• splitting said flow of purified water into at least two flow components;
• conducting a first of said at least two flow components to said carbonation means;
• conducting a second of said at least two flow components to a tap;
• controlling a flow of said carbonating gas into said carbonation means in response to a pressure of said first of said at least two flow components in said carbonation means, whereby said first of said at least two flow components of purified liquid is charged with said carbonating gas;
• and
• conducting said charged liquid away from said carbonation means to said tap.