Systems and methods for the injection/dispensing of fluid material in a volumetrically accurate and repeatable manner via an injection cell that interconnects two reservoirs of the fluid material. The injection cell has a normally closed dispensing valve that is opened for dispensing of the fluid material during a compression cycle, and closed during a return cycle. Opening and closing of the dispensing valve is effected using either or both of pressurized air and/or a motorized linkage. During the compression cycle, independent longitudinal displacements of a piston cylinder and a piston within the injection cell act to first open the dispensing valve and subsequently eject fluid material within the piston cylinder via the opened dispensing valve. The piston cylinder and piston are returned to an initial state that facilitates reloading of the injection cell from the reservoirs and closes the dispensing valve during a return cycle.

A refrigerator utilizes a quick fill dispenser that incorporates a fluid storage receptacle that is easily removable for cleaning and/or dispensing independently of the refrigerator.

The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus, having increased cooling efficiency, which has a cooling rod passing through the inside of a storage receptacle such that an object to be cooled stored inside the storage receptacle is cooled by means of the cooling rod, and in which the cooling rod or the storage receptacle is filled with an auxiliary cooling solution for increasing the cooling efficiency, thereby cooling the inside of the storage receptacle to a predetermined temperature even in an environment with a high external temperature.

A refrigerator and a method of controlling the same, the refrigerator including: a main body including a storage compartment; a door to open and close the storage compartment; and a beverage provider arrangeable with respect to the main body or the door. The beverage provider including: a water supplying unit; a storage to store water supplied by the water supplying unit; a filter, arrangeable inside the storage, and accommodate beverage powder so that ingredients from the beverage powder accommodated in filter are leached into the water; a sensor to obtain information related to a concentration of a beverage produced to contain the ingredients of the beverage powder in the water; and a processor configured to identify the concentration of the beverage based on the obtained information, and control the water supplying unit to supply the water in an amount which is adjusted based on the identified concentration.

Systems and methods for dispensing consumable liquids are disclosed. An example networked system includes a server and a plurality of beverage dispenser stations. Each of the beverage dispenser stations includes a filler including a filler outlet configured to deliver a beverage into a container, an RFID reader configured to read an RFID tag fixed to a water filter through which water for the beverage is to flow, and a controller. The controller is configured determine a duration-of-use of the water filter and a volume of water that has passed through the water filter. Each of the beverage dispenser stations also includes a network communications interface configured to communicate the duration-of-use and the volume of water to the networked administrative server to track use of the water filter among the plurality of beverage dispenser stations.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for cooling fluids, for example beverages or beverage components, are presented. A cooling system or device includes a cold plate of bulk material (e.g., material of high thermal conductivity). A first sensor (preferably temperature sensor) is positioned within the bulk material and communicatively coupled to a processor. A first fluid line is at least partially disposed within the cold plate, having a first inlet entering and a first outlet exiting the cold plate. A second sensor (preferably temperature sensor) is positioned at the first fluid line proximal to the first outlet and communicatively coupled to the processor. The processor compares a sensor reading from the first sensor with a sensor reading from the second sensor, and issues an error report when the difference between the readings is above a threshold, or an individual reading from a sensor is outside of an operational parameter.

An insulated container having an internal chamber, a second container received within the internal chamber, a spigot assembly extending through a passageway through a wall of the insulated container and removably coupled to the second container, the spigot assembly being in fluid communication with the second container for dispensing liquid out of the insulated container.

An insulated container having an internal chamber, a second container received within the internal chamber, a spigot assembly extending through a passageway through a wall of the insulated container and removably coupled to the second container, the spigot assembly being in fluid communication with the second container for dispensing liquid out of the insulated container.

An insulated container having an internal chamber, a second container received within the internal chamber, a spigot assembly extending through a passageway through a wall of the insulated container and removably coupled to the second container, the spigot assembly being in fluid communication with the second container for dispensing liquid out of the insulated container.

A water cooling apparatus and a water purifier having a water cooling apparatus is provided. The water cooling apparatus may include a case, a water tank provided within the case, a cooling block provided to be in contact with the water tank and to cool the water tank through heat exchange, a thermoelectric element having one side in contact with the cooling block and provided so as to transfer heat from the one side to another side of the thermoelectric element when power is applied thereto, an insulator provided within the case and that covers the water tank and the cooling block, and a heat dissipation block provided outside of the case and provided to be in contact with the other side of the thermoelectric element to dissipate heat from the other side of the thermoelectric element.