Conventional faucets used outside North America to dispense pressurized fluids, such as beer, generally have an external operating lever which actuates an internal valve to control the flow of the fluid under pressure. In North America conventional faucets generally do not have this feature to control the flow of fluid under pressure. For many vendors of beverages in North America, it may sometimes be necessary or desired to change the pressure in the beverage line from that pressure at which the system was originally designed to operate. When the pressure is changed the flow rate is changed as well. When the flow rates are either too fast or too slow beverages and in particular beer do not pour properly. When in line pressure is changed a flow adjusting devise at the faucet can change the flow rate at the faucet so that beer can be poured at a rate that is controllable in the glass and does not cause excessive foaming. Changes in pressures may be necessary when the type of beer being dispensed is served at a warmer or colder temperature than the system is designed for or when the beer being dispensed has higher or lower pressure requirements than the system was designed to provide.
Existing faucets with a flow control feature are significantly more expensive than faucets without a flow control feature which limits their use. In addition the flow control restricting devise on all flow control faucets is not integral to the faucet itself. It must be mated with a faucet shank that accommodates a cone like restricting devise that is adjusted by a lever on the faucet. The shank is built into the dispensing tower and is the devise that allows the faucet to be attached to the tower. The tower must be constructed in such a way as to accommodate the size of this special shank. Adding flow control faucets to a typical North American beer system requires that the tower be rebuilt or be replaced.
An alternative way to adjust the flow rate is to modify the flow reducer placed in the supply line through which the beverage flows to the faucet. While such a reducer is effective, it may not be readily adjusted. To gain access to the in line reducer which is generally located in the inside bar wall or against the bar wall itself a beer service technician must move the equipment to expose the insulated housing in which the in line flow reducer is located. The technician must then remove the insulation and disconnect the system. This is not a practical approach to changing the flow rate particular if the circumstance that initiates the pressure change is short term.
Another alternative is to place a flow control adaptor between the faucet and the shank. This adaptor in turn extends the faucet beyond the drip tray which catches any beer that drips from the faucet spout. In addition the beer within the adaptor and faucet are further than normal from the cooling block located in the tower. The beer can therefore warm up inside the adaptor and faucet causing the beer to foam when poured.
An additional problem with using all currently manufactured flow control faucet is that they must be regularly disassembled and cleaned. The valve seat that stops the beer flow on any currently sold flow control faucet is at the back of the faucet. The beer flows around the valve shaft and out the faucet spout. Because the valve shaft and the inside of the body of the faucet are downstream from the valve seat beer collects inside the body and on the valve shaft when beer flow stops. The beer in the body is exposed to air and as a result mold, yeast, and bacteria grows inside the faucet body. This must be removed every few week by disassembling the faucet, soaking it in cleaning solution, and brushing all internal parts.
It is desirable to have a less expensive flow control devise that is integral to the faucet and can be used with a standard faucet shank eliminating the need for a flow control faucet shank. It is also desirable to incorporate a front seat design into a flow control faucet so as to prevent the build up of mold, yeast, and bacteria in the body of the faucet. This would be a great improvement in the design of faucets for dispensing pressurized beverages and particularly beer to have a faucet that is more sanitary than current flow control faucets and that more readily permits the use of flow control faucets on North American style towers in order to accommodate any required in line pressure changes.
It is desirable to improve faucets for dispensing pressurized beverages to more readily permit the adjustment of flow rate of the beverage being dispensed.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds