A refrigerator contains a dispenser for ice and/or liquid. A dispenser housing covers an opening in an outer shell of the refrigerator. The dispenser housing delimits a dispenser recess that extends outward and upward over an upper edge of the opening and is assembled from at least one main part, which extends from a lower edge of the opening over a rear wall to a front edge of a ceiling of the dispenser housing, and a filling part, which extends from the front edge to an upper edge of the opening.

This invention is a refrigeration, dispensing, and management system for beverage and beverage containers that includes a tap attached to an upper door and a supply line; a recess base in a recess of a housing; a slide slidably carried by the recess base having a slot; a pressurized gas cylinder connected to the housing and attached to a gas line in fluid communications with the supply line wherein the gas cylinder contains gas selected from the group consisting of O.sub.2, CO.sub.2, N.sub.2 or other inert gas; and, a cap placed on the beverage container so that when the tap is opened, pressurized gas enters the cap and the snorkel through an inlet defined in the cap, forces gas into the beverage container, and forces the beverage out of the outline defined in the cap, through the supply line and out of the tap.

There is provided a liquid supply apparatus eliminating the need for a power supply, having relatively light weight and small footprint, and ensuring a stable liquid supply. The liquid supply apparatus includes a first support member, a second support member, a balloon having one end supported by the first support member and the other end supported by the second support member, and a casing having a constant longitudinal length. The balloon is disposed in the casing and is configured so as to be able to hold a liquid therein and discharge the liquid therefrom. When the balloon holds the liquid, the one end and the other end of the balloon are positioned in the case.

The embodiment relates to beverage dispensing, and more particularly to the dispensing of a carbonated beverage, from any container into a vessel, providing a portion of the beverage as foam atop the dispensed beverage. To avoid the reduction of absorbed carbon dioxide in a carbonated beverage, increased atmospheric pressure is employed to move the beverage from the container through the apparatus and into the vessel. An oscillating means provides a sonic wave through the conduit and the liquid therein; the sonic wave initiates the reaction between the carbon dioxide and the ingredients in the beverage to cause the liquid to foam prior to dispensing into the vessel. Iterations include an adaptable apparatus for a beer tap and a means for passing the liquid to be dispensed through a permeable container filled with soluble material or a permeable container filled with a filtration means.

Food product dispensing machines and methods for dispensing food product into a cup. The food product dispensing machine includes a cup holder having a target element, a sensor that senses the target element, and a controller. The cup holder is configured to hold a cup such that the cup prevents the sensor from sensing at least a portion of the target element. The controller determines whether a cup is present in the cup holder and/or a size of the cup based on a remaining portion of the target element that is sensed by the sensor when the cup is held by the cup holder. Drive mechanisms are configured to move the first and second cup holders along first and second radial paths, respectively, with respect to the common dispensing position. An indicator is configured to indicate a remaining number of cup dispenses to the user.

A dispenser system includes a support surface for a container, a motion sensor for sensing movement of the container with respect to the support surface, a dispenser for dispensing a product stream into the container, a display for displaying a plurality of product options, and a controller coupled with the dispenser, the display, and the motion sensor. The controller is configured to display the plurality of options via the display, receive an indication of movement of the container with respect to the support surface, associate the indication of movement with at least one selection made from the plurality of options on the display, update the display to indicate the at least one selection made from the plurality of options on the display, and dispense a customized product stream based upon the at least one selection made from the plurality of options on the display.

A beverage pouring device includes a cradle that is moveable between a first position and a second position under a dispensing spigot. The cradle supports a glass and moving the cradle to the second position actuates a valve to dispense beverage into the glass. After partially filling the glass, the cradle automatically returns to the first position and the device continues filling the glass to a desired volume. The device starts and stops the flow of beverage automatically to arrive at a desired volume within the glass. The automatically moving cradle helps with foam control while allowing the glass to be filled hands-free which allows the user to do other tasks while the glass is being filled. The device tracks beverage statistics and sends these statistics to a remote computing device, as well as provides an alert when the beverage source approaches emptiness.

A water vending apparatus is disclosed. The water vending system includes a water vapor distillation apparatus and a dispensing device. The dispensing device is in fluid communication with the fluid vapor distillation apparatus and the product water from the fluid vapor distillation apparatus is dispensed by the dispensing device.

A water purifier includes a main body including a water supply pipe provided therein and a water chute connected to the main body to discharge drinking water. The water chute is capable of rotating about the main body in a left and right direction and has a length adjustable in a forward and backward direction and an upward and downward direction.

The refillable drinking vessel comprises a bottle, a bottle fitting structure, a base plate, and a fluid control structure. The base plate forms a fluidic connection between the bottle fitting structure and a pressurized fluid source. The bottle fitting structure forms a fluidic connection between the bottle and the base plate. The fluid control structure automatically controls the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid source through the base plate and the bottle fitting structure into the bottle. The fluid control structure senses when the bottle is near the base plate. The fluid control structure measures and controls the amount of fluid contained in the bottle.