An apparatus for making a beverage includes a housing, a first receptacle, a second receptacle, a cutting assembly, a water source, and at least one water outlet. The first receptacle is positioned in the housing for accepting a first beverage container containing a liquid. The second receptacle is positioned in the housing for accepting a second beverage container containing a liquid. The cutting assembly has a cutting blade that is movable relative to the first and second receptacles for opening the first and second containers substantially simultaneously so that liquid stored therein can be at least in part evacuated. The water source is coupled to the housing The at least one water outlet is associated with one or more of the first and second receptacles for adding water to the liquid from the first and second beverage containers from the water source.

A water-dispensing device includes a cold water tank and a fill valve. The tank is in selective fluid communication with a water intake via the fill valve. The device further includes a cold dispensing valve, a spigot in selective fluid communication with the tank via the cold dispensing valve, an ozone generator in fluid communication with the tank, and a drip tray positioned beneath the spigot. The drip tray is in fluid communication with a drain via a drain hose. A controller is configured to perform a cleaning operation by: (i) activating the ozone generator to ozonate water stored in the tank, (ii) opening the cold dispensing valve to empty the tank by dispensing the ozonated water from the tank through the spigot and into the drip tray, and (iii) upon determining the tank is empty, opening the fill valve to refill the tank.

A method for dispensing a beverage from a bottle that includes communicating a dispensing authorization message from a control unit to at least one of a server interface carried by a beverage server and a pour spout secured to a bottle, wherein the dispensing authorization message at least one of includes or initiates a dispensing command, and wherein the pour spout responds to the dispensing command by opening a spout valve through which a beverage flows from the bottle and out of the pour spout.

A hot water supply method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: measuring a temperature of water flowing into an water inlet part; turning on a first heater and a second heater if a target temperature is a standard temperature or higher; adjusting a degree of opening and closing of a flow rate adjusting valve on the basis of a difference between the target temperature and the temperature of water flowing into the water inlet part; measuring a temperature of water discharged to a water outlet part; and readjusting the degree of opening and closing of the flow rate adjusting valve on the basis of a difference between the target temperature and the temperature of water discharged to the water outlet part.

A system and method for dispensing beverage from a container, such as wine from a wine bottle. An identification element may be secured to a beverage container and include a tag and optically readable code that uniquely identify the container. A dispenser may dispense beverage from a container, and be able to read the tag of the identification element. Information regarding characteristics of beverage in the beverage container may be associated with a corresponding identification element and include a brand, type, vintage or volume of beverage in the container.

The embodiments are and include an apparatus, system and method for a liquid level monitoring dispenser for association with a liquid filled consumable. The apparatus, system and method may include: a receiver for receiving the consumable upon inversion thereof; at least one electrical contact within the receiver for communicative association with conductive strips on the consumable; a sensing module communicative with the at least one electrical contact and having associated therewith firmware for converting signals associated with the conductive strips and received at the electrical contact to an indication of the liquid level; a communications module for communicating the liquid level to at least a user display and over at least one network; a power module for powering at least the sensing module and the communications module; and at least one dispensing output in fluid communication with the consumable and capable of dispensing the liquid from the consumable to modify the liquid level.

A pour spout, for attaching to a bottle, has a first wireless transceiver and a valve for selectively controlling flow of a beverage from the bottle. A server interface, adapted to be carried by a person who serves beverages, has a second wireless transceiver. A control unit is provided to wirelessly communicate with the second transceiver. In one mode, the pour spout transmits a spout identifier to the server interface, which responds by transmitting the spout identifier and a server identifier to the control unit. The control unit responds with a reply transmission causing the server interface to command the pour spout to open the valve. In another mode, a person selects a cocktail, that results in the control unit sending designations of a plurality of liquor ingredients to the server interface. The server interface controls dispensing each of the plurality of liquor ingredients.

Embodiments of the present invention provide corks and cork systems that find particular use in connection with wireless spouts used for monitoring the amount of liquid poured from liquid containers. It is desirable to be able to use a wireless spout with various differently-sized bottle. Accordingly, the cork features provided can ease removal and replacement of the wireless spouts onto and off of variously sized bottles, and allow the same spout to be re-used with a differently sized bottle.

Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed to implement an electronic pourer to dispense a liquid from a container. The electronic pourer can be used with an inventory system for inventory and/or accounting purposes. In one embodiment, the electronic pourer includes an orientation determining subsystem configured to determine an orientation of the electronic pourer, a wireless communication subsystem, a processing subsystem having at least one processing core, and a power source configured to power up the electronic pourer. The processing subsystem can be coupled to the orientation determining subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem to determine whether liquid has been dispensed from the electronic pourer based on the angular displacement of the orientation determining subsystem, and transmit information to an external computing device via the wireless communication subsystem. In another embodiment, the electronic pourer is equipped with a tamper-proof subsystem.

Using various embodiments, methods devices and systems to implement an electronic pourer to dispense a liquid are described. The electronic pourer can be used with an inventory system for inventory and/or accounting purposes. In one embodiment, the electronic pourer includes an orientation determining subsystem configured to determine an orientation of the electronic pourer, a wireless communication subsystem, a processing subsystem having at least one processing core, and a power source configured to power up the electronic pourer. The processing subsystem can be coupled to the orientation determining subsystem and the wireless communication subsystem to determine whether liquid has been dispensed from the electronic pourer based on the angular displacement of the orientation determining subsystem, and transmit information to an external computing device via the wireless communication subsystem. In another embodiment, the electronic pourer is equipped with a tamper-proof subsystem.